Bloodstained Rose
by Macavity the Mystery Cat
Summary: Gunslinger Girl and Maria-sama ga Miteru crossover. Triela undertakes a strange long term mission to discover whether the Ogasawara group is responsible for weapons smuggling. Her mission? Observing its heir, Sachiko Ogasawara.
1. Encounter

Gunslinger Girls and Maria-sama ga Miteru belong to their respective owners. I have no intention of profiting in any fashion from this story

Bloodstained Rose - A Gunslinger Girls/Maria-sama ga Miteru Crossover

"Why am I the one who has to do this?" muttered Triela as she tried to straighten her long skirt and fingered the knot on her ribbon for the umpteenth time since she had put the uniform on that morning. Surrounding her were more teenage girls in the same green and white uniform, all walking with a surprising amount of reserve and grace for girls their age down a beautifully landscaped wooded pathway. And none of them were fighting with their skirts, either.

"We've been over this three times, Triela," Hilshire said through the earpiece, sounding exasperated, "You're the only girl who looks old enough to fit in here. Everyone else looks too young."

"Claes looks old enough!" Triela hissed softly. Then she tripped on the edge of her skirt and had to flail wildly to catch her balance; much to the amusement and scandal of the girls around her.

"This mission requires a Fratello, Triela. We're to watch over and cover each other, as always. I'll be undercover starting tomorrow, as you know. Claes could never work and live with someone as closely as we can. You know that just as well as I do," he lectured.

Triela snorted, but kept her opinion on _that_ remark to herself. She wasn't uncomfortable per se about this mission, but it just felt awkward. Part of it was the skirt. Definitely the skirt. But this was a long-term undercover mission. The girls of the SWA as almost a necessity didn't take long term missions. They weren't trained for them. But here she was, working in a foreign country illegally for at least weeks, possibly months with no support except her handler. Well that wasn't entirely true. Henrietta and Jose were in Japan as well, but in a much more official capacity. They were the emergency back-up if things went really haywire. Unless that happened, there was to be no contact.

"Remember your mission, Triela. You are here to observe and hopefully befriend Sachiko Ogasawara. She's the daughter and heir to the Ogasawara Group who the SWA has been observing for some time. We've intercepted several Padania shipments with Ogasawara labels on them back in Italy, as well a representative from their group. We have strong suspicion that they are directly involved with Padania, as well as other terror groups. Whether that support comes through funding, weapons, or even direct support is unknown. We don't think they know that we suspect them yet, but we want an agent near the Ogasawara girl just in case things go south." Hilshire grimly said.

"So what? I'll be kidnapping her? Killing her? Torture? Which? I hate not knowing what to do here, Hilshire." she muttered irritably.

"Maybe all three…Or none at all. We might even choose to cultivate her as an ally, depending on how much she knows. Just get close to her for now. Become friends with her if you can. We want to know as much about her as possible. Jose and Henrietta are pursuing things through the official channels. They're working with the National Police Agency to track the shipments and the payments. When they get concrete details, then it'll be time to move."

Triela sighed, and played with the knot of her ribbon once again, but found to her surprise it had come undone. Irritated with the whole thing, she didn't even bother to fix it. As long as it didn't fall off, it would be just fine. It wasn't like anyone would care, anyway. She could be stuck here for months while the investigation went on, and no one would care.

She hurried forward, despite the disapproving glances that followed her the entire way, doing her best to get out of the crowd. It was a little nerve wracking to be surrounded by so many girls her age. At the 

agency there was Henrietta, Rico, Claes, Angelica, and Beatrice when she was in. But even then, she spent most of her time with the handlers and adults of Section Two. She didn't think she had ever spent much time with girls her own. She found it a bit intimidating, to say the least.

She felt their eyes on her back, and it made her nervous in a way that no terrorist had ever managed. She wasn't like these girls who were pampered and educated. They lived in a soft, insulated world where nothing could harm them. Their only concerns were their grades and their social status. They knew nothing of her world. She lived in the real world. There was death. There was pain. There were others things as well, but only those two were constant. She didn't think she would ever be able to feel comfortable around these oblivious people.

Ahead of her, she could see groups of girls stopping in front of a small statue of someone before continuing on up to the main school building. As she approached, she felt a smile grow on her face as she recognized the statue. It was of the Virgin Mary. She was placed in a beautiful little garden that felt more like a shrine than anything else. The girls who stopped treated her with respect and reverence. Lillian School for Girls was a Catholic school after all. Just seeing the statue brought back memories of Rome…and of home where statues of the Holy Mother were prevalent just about everywhere. Even here in the middle of Japan, it was nice to know that there was a little piece of Italy. It immediately put her back at ease, and she slowed down and matched the others' gait. She even managed to smile at those who looked her way.

She approached the statue reverently and joined the line of girls in silent prayer. She didn't ask for much, as usual. A quiet day. Safety, for herself and her handler, Claes and everyone else at the agency. A quick painless death. Simple things. A sinner such as her could hardly ask for anything more.

She finished her prayer, and turned to head towards the main building, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She froze; her entire body stiffening in the effort to not instantly turn and incapacitate the one who had grabbed her. It was hard to resist an action like that. Even Hilshire knew not to touch her without warning. There were simply some instincts that had been programmed in too well. But it certainly would be out of character for a school-girl to do something like that. So she quivered silently, and tried to calm herself.

The girl who had touched her seemed to not notice. She merely sighed, tutted softly, and slowly turned Triela around to face her. Then she began to work on her ribbon. She was of average height and average looks, but the rest of the girls standing around the statue seemed to give her space. "I don't think I've seen you before, but that doesn't forgive you for not having your ribbon tied. If my onee-sama saw you, you'd get a lecture of a lifetime."

The girl's face suddenly lit up into a huge smile, and Triela almost took a reflexive step back, but the girl blocked it nearly effortlessly and continued to work on the ribbon. "It brings back memories you know," the girl said wistfully, turning to stare at the statue while her hands continued to work, "Tying a first year's ribbon while Maria-sama is watching over us. Onee-sama would be proud."

With a final gentle pull, the girl finished her work, and looked it over with a critical eye. Nodding to herself, she smiled once again at Triela, and then patted her on the head almost affectionately. Triela had to repress the urge to flinch, but the girl noticed. Fortunately, she seemed to take it as a sign of shyness rather than one of repressed violence, and her smile softened. "Gokigenyo, little one. I hope to see you around. Welcome to Lillian." With that, she turned gracefully, and walked towards a small building near the main one.

Triela watched the strange girl go warily, and then let out a small sigh. It was only after a moment that she realized the rest of the girls who crowded around the Virgin Mary's statue were watching _her_. And strangely it seemed as if they looked…jealous for some reason. But for what reason? Was the other girl important somehow? She didn't look all that impressive, though she did have a…dignified aura surrounding her, Triela supposed. The rest of the girls had certainly given the girl space.

"Umm…," she ventured, turning to address the crowd, "Who wa-"

"Gah!" interrupted one of the girls nearby, "Why would Rosa Chinensis en bouton pay attention like that to a new student?" her scathing tone suddenly changed to something more petulant, "…I wish she'd pay attention to me…"

There were murmurs of agreement from the surrounding girls, but one of the other girls shushed them, and then turned kindly to Triela. "Forgive them, please, they mean no offense. Its just that," the girl's expression change to one of dreamy admiration, "it seems so hard to get close to one of Yamayurikai…They're all so pretty, graceful, smart…Well, we're jealous of anyone who gets their personal attention."

Triela looked blankly at them, puzzled by some of the unfamiliar terms, and then just asked the simple question that she wanted to ask in the first place. "Who is she?"

The crowd of girls goggled at her, before giggling amongst themselves. Then the first girl who had spoken answered her. "I guess a new student wouldn't know huh? That was Rosa Chinensis en bouton, Fukuzawa Yumi. She's the petite soeur of Rosa Chinensis, Sachiko Ogasawara, and a member of the Yamayurikai, our student council."

Triela couldn't believe her luck. It was either amazingly good, and had presented her with a golden opportunity. Or it was so terrifyingly bad that it had just ruined the whole mission in one fell swoop. And Triela had no clue which it was.

* * *

I guess I lied. --;;; This idea came up in a forum I belong to, and I just couldn't get it out of my head. Its shorter than I'd like, but it ended in a spot I felt worked really well for its purpose, and I didn't feel like adding an intro would do anything that it wasn't already doing. Plus I just like this idea.

Throwing a Gunslinger Girl into a situation with lots of normal people has a potential for tragedy and confusion that I find terribly attractive as a writer. And a school for girls? Only adds to it. When it comes down to it, the Gunslinger Girls aren't terribly good at living.

Anyways, don't expect work on this for a while. --;;; I will work on _Something to Die For_...if it kills me! Laughs

Edit: Fixed an embarrasing misspelling. Thank you, Akuma-sama!


	2. Objective Sighted

Disclaimer: I do not own either Gunslinger Girl or Maria-sama ga Miteru and I have no intention of profiting from this story.

Bloodstained Rose – A Gunslinger Girl/Maria-sama ga Miteru Crossover

Chapter 2 – Objective Sighted

Triela slowly let her head settle on the desk of her new seat in the new classroom of her new school. Certainly far more newness than she would have voluntarily chosen to deal with. It had been a long day filled with tense moments and barely avoided mistakes. Neither Triela nor Hilshire were familiar with how Japanese schools were run. Or Catholic schools for that matter. Or all-girls schools. It had been like running through a minefield. There were no such things as missteps, simply because every step was equally dangerous. No amount of briefing could have prepared her for the stresses of this mission.

Somehow, they had made it through the day without any major screw-ups. Certainly, she had received some strange looks and had undoubtedly made a few faux-pas, but most of them probably would be ignored simply due to her status as a transfer student. Well, her status as a _foreign_ transfer student might excuse everything short of public nudity. Maybe even beyond that. Or at least she had gotten that sort of impression from some of the students around her. Hilshire wasn't so sure, so she wasn't willing to take any chances.

Still, it had been a relatively successful initial insertion. She had yet to make contact with her objective, but there was still time left in the day. Japanese schools had time after class for student club activities. She didn't know whether or not Ogasawara was in a club, but she did know that she was some sort of school officer. Or something. Whatever it meant to be 'Rosa Chinesis'. She didn't know if they met at the same times as the rest of the clubs, where they met, or if they really met at all, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask around.

And judging by the local rumour mill, it might not be hard to get the information that she needed. She'd already heard three or four versions of the events that had transpired this morning with the other girl…this Yumi Fukuzawa who was the 'petite soeur' of her objective. She didn't quite understand what made the girl so important and what connected her to Ogasawara, or why the rumours had taken off with such fervor. From what she could tell, she was apparently either some long lost relative, a troublesome former underclassman, or…well… a former lover. She had had to restrain a blush when she had heard that last one, but those were what she had heard. She was certain even wilder ones were spreading where she couldn't hear. She wasn't sure she wanted to know those ones.

"What exactly is your relation to Yumi-sama?" an imperious voice demanded from her side, interrupting her thoughts.

Raising her head slightly, Triela peered at the girl, absent-mindedly fingering the spot where she would have normally kept a hidden knife. The girl was short and wore her brown hair in a rather bizarre pair of twisty pig tails. The amount of hair styling the girl had to go through each morning to achieve that look had to approach a ridiculous level. However, given that many of the students attending the school were at least well off, if not considerably wealthy, it wasn't really that surprising that someone attending had the time and money to waste like that.

She considered ignoring the girl or simply rudely dismissing her, but that seemed to be a bad idea. As soon as the girl had asked the question, a hush had fallen over the classroom, and every student's eyes had come to rest on the both of them. Even the teacher was paying attention, despite her attempts to disguise it. Dodging the question would undoubtedly be a major social blunder, and create even more rumours. Answering the girl's question would hopefully give her a chance to step out of the limelight. Being this well-known would undoubtedly be harmful to her mission.

She stood up, looked the girl in the eye, and addressed the entire class in a strong and clear voice, "I have no relation to Fukuzawa Yumi. What happened this morning was a chance encounter. I would appreciate it if you all wouldn't circulate rumours about me. Thank you."

As soon as she finished her announcement, the girls began muttering and whispering amongst themselves. She hoped they would spread the word. The girl in front of her looked satisfied with her answer. Even more so, she seemed…relieved. Triela was curious, did this girl have a connection to this Yumi girl, and thus to her objective? The girl could be her ticket to finding her location.

"Since you asked a question, can I ask one as well?" she asked, as politely as she could bring herself to be to a person who had already been rather rude.

The girl appeared slightly startled, and the relieved look vanished from her face, replaced by one of mild suspicion. "Yes. Of course, it would only be polite."

"I'm looking for the student council; could you tell me where they meet?" Triela asked.

If anything, the girl began to get more suspicious, "Why do you need to visit the student council? I thought you had no relation to Yumi-sama?"

Triela decided for the moment to play the idiot. It would hopefully lessen the girl's suspicion, "Oh, Yumi-sama is on the student council? Well, that isn't any of my business. I have other issues to talk about with them."

The girl didn't take the hint. "Then what are those issues??"

Triela sighed, and brushed her hair from in front of her face, "It is tradition from where I come from for a new student to introduce themselves to the ruling student body and apologize for any problems caused by their sudden transfer. It would be a terrible insult if I didn't introduce myself." She had come up with this excuse on her own and Hilshire had approved it. It wasn't likely that any of these students had been to Italy, anyway. And even less likely that they had anything to do with the school system, anyway. So it was a relatively safe lie.

"That isn't the tradition here, so I don't really see why you need to do it. They will not be insulted." The girl sternly replied, finally beginning to really draw Triela's irritation.

"Tradition should be upheld, no matter what the cause is, don't you think? Plus, it would make me more comfortable. I've changed schools pretty often, and I only feel like a student for my school if I've properly introduced myself," Was Triela's own reply. She was quite willing to get all tearful about it, if the girl continued to block her. It was quite obvious, to Triela, at least, that the girl did know where the meeting place was. She was just unwilling to tell. Triela missed the missions where she could simply 

pound the informant's face into the ground until they gave you the answers you needed. Those missions were simpler. And less frustrating. Much less frustrating.

Strangely enough, this answer seemed to give the girl pause when the others had failed. She seemed to consider something for a moment, and then nodded slowly. Then she once again spoke in her imperious, arrogant voice, "Very well, then. I will escort you myself to the Rose Mansion,' she smiled, seemingly pleased with something, "After all, I have my own connections with the Yamayurikai. Please, come this way."

* * *

"For something called the 'Rose Mansion,' it's not terribly impressive," Triela couldn't stop herself from commenting. The two-story building they were standing in front of was…small to say the least. Most definitely not a mansion. It looked quite old and a bit rickety, though had obviously been lovingly maintained. But that was really all that it had going for it.

The girl frown at her, "How dare you insult the home of Rosa Gigantea, Rosa Foetida, and Rosa Chinesis!" the girl lost a little of her steam, "…but I do have to admit, it really is not terribly imposing."

"And while we're on the subject, why do you call you student officers Rosa…names? And Yamayurikai? I will be the first one to admit that my command of your language isn't great, but that certainly doesn't mean student council. Isn't it too confusing?"

"It is tradition," she raised an eyebrow, "do you have anything against that?" Triela wisely kept her mouth shut, "The three officers that make up the Yamayurikai, represent the most capable, the most beautiful, and the most admired of all girls at Lillian. Why shouldn't we compare the most beautiful of flowers to those who emulate them the most? And the Yamayurikai, our Mountain Lily Council, references the white lily of the Virgin Mary, the patron of our school and the person all girls aspire to be like."

Triela didn't have a counter to that argument so she thanked the girl, offered her a very unsteady curtsy, and set-off for the building.

"Matsudaira Toko," the girl said from behind her.

Triela turned and gave the girl a questioning look. The girl looked a bit uncertain, but for some reason there was determination in her eyes.

"Triela is your name, correct? I am Matsudaira Toko. Please, remember my name." With that final remark, the girl turned without another look and walked off, leaving a somewhat puzzled Triela. The girl was borderline impolite one minute, and then introduced herself the next. The people at Lillian were strange and unpredictable. This would make the mission that much more difficult. What kind of place had the SWA sent her into?

Once again, she set off for the building, completely missing the fact that she had been observed the entire time by a number of students. Her conversations with Toko had been memorized and were already being repeated to other students with subtle twists. The fact that Triela had visited the Rose Mansion would only feed the rumours that she had hoped to squash. By the next day, it would be widely 

known that Toko Matsudaira had declared a new rivalry with the transfer student and that the race to become Rosa Chinesis en Bouton's petite soeur had begun to heat up.

Triela, however, knew none of this. The only thing she knew was that no one had responded when she had knocked on the door of the so-called mansion. However, she found that the door was unlocked. She debated for a moment on whether or not it would be okay to simply enter, but eventual came to the conclusion that since it was school property it would be alright for a student to enter. If it wasn't, well, her mission was far more important than any school rules.

The inside of the building was even more unimpressive than the outside. The furnishing were just as old as the building itself and had obviously seen a great deal of wear, despite obvious attempts to keep them in good repair. A bit of recon revealed a set of storage rooms and a bathroom on the first floor, which meant that the meeting rooms for the student council had to be on the second floor. After all, she doubted that the 'most beautiful, most capable' girls in Lillian would meet in a storage room. It would probably be considered too inelegant or something similarly bizarre.

She carefully went up the stairs to the second floor, almost unconsciously attempting to create as little noise as possible. There was only one room at the top of the stairs, which meant that if her objective was anywhere, it would be in here. If she wasn't, it would still be a good opportunity to explore an area where she spent her time. The girl's classroom was also on her list, as was any other places on campus she frequented. How she was going to find those places out was something that she was still working on.

She approached the door carefully, attempting to see if she could hear any persons present in the room. However, either there was no one in there, or they were engaged in some form of quiet work. Shrugging, Triela knocked on the door and waited to see if there was an answer. There hadn't been any so far, so she really wasn't expecting one.

"Come in," said a cool, collected voice said from the other side of the door.

Triela jumped a little, but quickly composed herself and opened the door. The room on the other side wasn't impressive, like the rest of the mansion, but it looked…comfortable. It certainly had a nice view of the surrounding campus from its large windows. There was even a small kitchenette on one side of the room, and a large table in the middle of the room. And sitting at the table was her target, Sachiko Ogasawara.

She restrained herself from stopping and simply examining the girl. It would be both impolite and suspicious, but she did manage a relatively quick look. The picture she had been given had not really done the girl justice, though Triela really wasn't that capable of judging things like that. She was certainly beautiful. In a cold, ice princess sort of way.

When Ogarawara looked up to see who had entered, a brief look of surprise crossed her face, before changing to a pleasant welcoming expression. "Oh, a visitor? We do not get many visitors to our mansion. What brings you here? May I help you in any way?"

Triela smiled at the girl, and gave her best curtsy. That is, she managed to perform one without falling over. "My name is Trie…Hartmann Triela, and I am a new student here. I thought it would be polite to introduce myself to the school's student council."

"Oh, really?" Was the reply. Triela felt rather than saw Ogasawara's gaze fall upon her. The gaze had turned from friendly to evaluative in less than a second. It was a look that Triela was somewhat familiar with. It was the wary gaze of someone who isn't sure whether the person is friend or foe. It wasn't a look that Triela had expected to come across in this carefree school, and certainly not from her target. Though that was perhaps a bit of mistake. Ogasawara came from a family of cutthroat businessmen. Knowing how to look at and evaluate someone would be a valuable skill.

She smoothed her skirts in a motion she hoped that seemed calm and practiced, rather than a move to buy herself some time to compose herself, "Yes, it's tradition from where I come from to introduce oneself to the student council as an-"

The sound of several people arguing and stomping up the stairs interrupted her. Both she and Ogasawara turned in surprise towards the door. It was the most noise Triela had heard all day. It sounded like a small invading army was charging and screaming up the stairwell. It was definitely strange considering that all day she had barely heard anyone speak above whisper-level and walk faster than a snail.

A moment later, a group of girls burst through the door, arguing and yelling, and running around. At least they did until they noticed Ogasawara sitting at the table looking irritated. It was almost amusing to watch them fall silent one by one as each noticed the girl at a different time. Surprisingly, the last one to fall silent was Toko, the girl who had guided her to the building.

It was a strange assemblage of girls. She recognized three of them. One was Toko. There was also another girl that she recognized from her class, one of the tallest Japanese women that Triela had seen. The third was someone she definitely remembered, Yumi Fukuzawa. There were three others. One was a rather pale girl with braided pigtails who seemed to be trying to fend off the others. One was a short-haired girl with a camera strapped to her neck and something in her hand that Fukuzawa had been trying to get at. The last was an older looking ponytailed girl rapidly writing in a small notepad. All of them looked were doing their best not to look at Ogasawara.

"And what, pray tell, is the cause of this…this ruckus? Tsutako-san! Is it you? What compromising position have you managed to capture Yumi in this time?" Ogasawara's voice cracked like a whip.

Fukuzawa made a noise that sounded something like a mouse getting stepped on. The girl with the camera did her best not to look too guilty, but only very slowly creeped forward, betraying her obvious nervousness. Her voice, however, was confident. "Well, you know I've been collecting photos of the Red Rose family for my exhibit at the school fair coming up, right?"

Ogasawara raised an eyebrow, "I believe I have some recollection of that. You have asked permission of me to show several pictures with my image on them. What of it?" Ogasawara had asked the question, but Triela could see her eyes trace over all those who had burst through the door and guessed that Ogasawara had some clue of what the picture might contain.

"Well, I just happened to be in the right place this morning to add another picture to my display. Yumi-chan, however, seems to be a bit embarrassed by it." With a flourish, the girl Ogasawara had called Tsutako presented what Triela assumed to be a photo to Ogasawara, "I call it 'Another Contender Steps into the Ring.' Looks familiar, doesn't it, Sachiko-sama?" she said the last statement fondly, though Triela certainly didn't know why.

Ogasawara looked a little doubtful, and then glanced at the picture. Triela was surprised to see the girl start and almost fall out of her chair. She was even more surprised when the girl turned to stare at her. Her gaze remained there for a long moment, and then she turned to look at Fukuzawa, who seemed to be trying to hide behind several of the other girls. Or maybe even just sink into the floor in embarrassment. Her face was certainly red enough.

Then to the surprise of all, including Triela, Ogasawara began to laugh. She laughed for a long time, and tears began to come out of her eyes, ruining her make-up and leaving long steaks down her face. She didn't seem to mind, and just wiped them away. The rest of the room watched, almost in awe. Triela definitely got the feeling that this sort of thing was rare.

When the girl finally regained control of herself, she smiled at Tsutako, "Indeed, it does bring back good memories. Go ahead and show it. That is if Miss…Hartmann, was it? If she is fine with it. Maybe it will teach my petite soeur a lesson."

Surprisingly enough, both Toko and the tall girl from her class glared at each other, and then at Triela herself. "…Umm…What? Why do you need my permission to show a photo?"

Tsutako gave Triela a strange look, "Why would we need your permission? Because it has you in it, of course!"

Ogasawara reached out to hand her the photo, and Triela snatched it with more force than was necessarily. She was not here to get her…picture...taken…Though once she looked at it, she had to admit it was an excellent picture. There she was with Yumi Fukuzawa leaning over her, retying her ribbon in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary with their hair whipping artfully in the light breeze. Her own face was obvious the centerpiece of the picture; it somehow combined reluctance and surprise in a way that made both of them seem closer than they really were. She still didn't know why Sachiko had found it so funny, though. Or why it had the strange name…what was it? "Another Contender Steps into the Ring?" What did that have to do with the picture at all?

"I have no problem with the picture being shown. It isn't that big of a deal." She finally said.

The rest of the girls turned to stare at her almost as one, and Triela briefly had the feeling that she had just made a very serious mistake. However, before she could ask any questions, Tsutako plucked the picture from her fingers and Ogasawara spoke up once again, "You were interrupted before, yes? You said you came to introduce yourself to the Yamayurikai?"

Quickly reordering her thoughts, Triela quickly answered, remembering the statement she had created beforehand, "Ah, yes. It is a tradition from where I come from for a transfer student to introduce herself to the student council and to offer her services for a time as an apology for any troubles caused by her sudden transfer. That is why I am here."

Ogasawara quirked an eyebrow at her, for some reason seeming to doubt Triela's statement. Both Toko and the other girl from her class were glaring at her, and even the other girls were looking at her doubtfully. Triela was confused. She was aware that her statement did sound a little hokey, but they were all looking at her as if she were plotting something. What, she had no clue. This school was becoming stranger and stranger.

Ogasawara spared a glance at Fukuzawa who seemed to cower a little, then shrugged and smiled. "Well, I suppose it will be…interesting. And, of course, we always welcome any help. We accept your offer, Miss Hartmann."

Triela didn't let the smile she felt show on her face. Objective complete. Secure a position near Ogasawara. Stage 2 begin. Learn as much about the target as possible. Yes, it would be interesting…

* * *

"How'd it go?" asked Hilshire from a chair in the small living room of the apartment they were renting.

Triela sighed, and threw herself on the couch. "What do you expect? It was rough. I'm not trained for this kind of thing. I have a feeling I still don't have the language down just yet, either."

Hilshire shrugged, "If it helps, neither do I. It's been years since I've spoken Japanese. This job would be much more suited to someone from Intelligence or Section 1, but neither of them have young enough agents for this project. But here we are. We have to make the best of it."

"I know that!" she snapped back, covering her eyes in hopes of reducing her headache. Being on guard all day was hard, even on her.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Hilshire spoke up again, "So what's your initial impression of the target?"

Triela considered the remark for a moment, trying to sort through all of the details that she had taken in, "Well…she's been well…trained, I suppose. She's knows how to look at a person, you know? Sense motive, read character and all that. It'll be a challenge. All of them are halfway suspicious of me for some reason already, but hopefully, after a few days, whatever fears they have will be put to rest."

Hilshire nodded, "Make sure you are careful. We only get one chance at this. What do you think of her personally?"

That was a harder question, and Triela spent several long minutes considering it, "…Very polite girl, and very much in control of herself. Maybe to an unhealthy degree. Seems to have a good number of friends, but she seemed a bit distant even then. Yumi, her 'petite soeur', whatever context little sister means here, is probably the one closest to her. She doesn't really seem to be the innocent-killing, terrorist-supporting type, if that's what you're asking. She reminds me a bit of me, I suppose."

Hilshire nodded and smiled. "Good. That means you'll be able to get close to her. Now, what details can you give me for my insertion tomorrow?"

Triela took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

And here's the second chapter! A good bit longer than I planned (Originally it was supposed to be 3000 words max). Still everything that needed to be done in this chapter was accomplished so I feel pretty good. First chapter of something in a while that I really felt that. I just wish I could have fit some more 

Hilshire dialogue in amongst things that were happening, but I really couldn't figure out a good way to seamlessly blend his comments in without giving up some of the pace I wanted to set. So he got a scene in the end.

And speaking of dialogue, Triela gave me fits this chapter. I think I finally got it where I wanted it. Normally she's so direct and to the point in her word choices, but I was trying to figure out how to fit that in with how people at Lillian talk. Bleh, hopefully in another chapter or two, I'll have a settled style for her. Thankfully the Lillian girls are in general much easier.

Next chapter, Hilshire's insertion, and Triela finds out exactly what kind of hole she has dug herself into. Though it won't be for a while. Beginnings is my next scheduled project, either that or some F/SN shorts.

See ya later!

(Edit: Forgot the line breaks)


	3. Deviations

Disclaimer: I do not own Gunslinger Girl or Maria-sama ga Miteru and I have intention of profiting from this story

Bloodstained Rose – A Gunslinger Girl/Maria-sama ga Miteru Crossover

Chapter Three - Deviations

"So, Triela-san, you say that the next class is now going to be taught by your uncle?" asked Toko Matsudaira, the girl who Triela was rapidly beginning to dislike. It wasn't that she was annoying _per se_, she had actually been helpful several times during the morning classes, but she hadn't let Triela out of her sight since she had walked into the classroom. Triela had done plenty of stalking during her time with the SWA, but Toko could give even her a run for her money as far as persistence went.

"Yes. My uncle is the new European History teacher. He's taught at several schools back in Italy. He's really a first rate teacher," replied Triela, doing her best to help smooth Hilshire's insertion. She had revealed Hilshire's position to the class this morning, and the bizarrely effective Lillian School rumor mill had kicked into high gear and the news spread almost immediately. They had discussed it beforehand and had decided that it was necessary to set it up their relationship as soon as possible. It was best to have the school become used to seeing them together so that they could operate with the greatest efficiency, as well as to put a stop to rumors. Or at least control them.

"I see. Where did he get his degree from?" Matsudaira asked curiously.

The girl was really far too curious for her own good. "The University of Berlin. He majored in Criminal Justice and History. He's been working on his Master's, which is part of the reason we moved here to Japan." The beginning part was actually true; Triela had been somewhat surprised to find out. Hilshire's cover for the mission was less of a series of lies and more of a series of truths. He was using his real name and almost all of his background from before he had joined the SWA, which had struck her as peculiar. Hilshire never talked about the past if he could avoid it. She had learned more about Hilshire's past during the briefing for the mission that she had from the entire time they had worked together.

"Then I look forward to being taught by him. If he is anything like you, Triela-san, I'm sure he will make things…interesting." Matsudaira said, perhaps meaning some kind of subtle insult, or perhaps not. Triela still didn't quite know what to make of her, or of the entire situation at Lillian. As soon as she had entered the building (well, tripped into the building. The skirts had gotten her again), girls had descended upon her with more questions about her relationship with Yumi Fukuzawa. And even more had asked her about the reason for her trip to the Rose Mansion. How did all of them know about her visit? And more importantly, _why the hell did they care?_ She just really didn't get high school girls. Criminals were easier to understand.

Hilshire entered the classroom almost casually, not even looking in her direction. The girls who had gotten up during the class change made their way back to their seats almost immediately, and quiet descended upon the room as the girls observed their new teacher. Triela did her best to look bright and attentive, but observed the rest of the room as carefully as they were examining Hilshire. She saw several of the girls look between him and her, obviously attempting to find some similarities between the two. Triela wished them luck, they wouldn't find anything. There was a good reason that they were posing as uncle and niece, rather than father and daughter.

"Good afternoon, class. I am Mr. Hartmann, the new European History teacher. I understand Yamashita-sensei contracted cancer about a month ago and retired as a result. I will do my best to take up where she left off, and maybe take this class in a new direction as well. However, you should be warned that my Japanese is not as good as it should be," he smiled somewhat guiltily, "I spent most of last night practicing this speak, so this is why I sound so clear. I ask for your patience and goodwill. I'm not like my cute niece Triela, who learn most of the language in a month."

Triela instantly felt all of the eyes in the room shift from Hilshire to herself, and barely restrained herself from flinching. Hilshire was NOT following the script for how this initial class was supposed to go. She didn't need any more attention. She was getting far too much as it was.

"I'm so happy to hear that she's become so popular already. I've had so many questions about her from all of my classes today. It's wonderful that you are all so accepting and friendly!" Hilshire said with a smile. Triela could feel her face growing red from all of the stares, though she did see some guilty looks from a few of the girls who had been less than friendly with their questioning. Hilshire was NOT helping any. They were going to have a chat when she got home today, "Though I do admit, some of the questions were quite personal. Please, do me a favor and give Triela space and support, would you? If something should happen to my darling niece, I'm sure my brother and his wife, may their souls rest in peace, would haunt me forever!"

Now Hilshire was just acting silly. But at his words, Triela could feel the mood in the room shift a little bit. Children without parents always were pitied, after all. She could see what Hilshire was trying to do now, though she wished he had told her in advance what he was going to do. Though, she supposed he was only acting on what he knew of the situation. They hadn't expected the sort of attention that she had somehow attracted. Stupid girls and their bloody rumor mills. Why couldn't they gossip about boys the way that she heard normal girls were supposed to?

"Now, moving on to actual class work. I understand Yamashita-sensei had just finished covering what we know as the Dark Ages and was moving on to the origins of the Renaissance. Now if we're going to talk about the Renaissance, we must talk about the city of Venice…"

* * *

"So how was your second day at Lillian?" asked Yumi Fukuzawa with a gentle smile. The girl had stopped by the room to pick up and escort her to the Rose mansion for some reason. Of course, Matsudaira had joined them, as well as the tall girl who had been a part of the ruckus yesterday at the mansion. Judging by their reactions, Fukuzawa picking up the girls was a common occurrence, so she really didn't think too much of it. Both of her peers were still giving her their oddly confrontational glares, however.

"Other than my uncle being a little bit more friendly than I wanted, it was fine," Triela said, somewhat grumpily. She had to admit that his tactic had worked. The class had cut down on the awkward questions, and had even blocked some from the other outside, but she was still irritated.

Fukuzawa laughed and Triela gave her an odd look. She gestured for a moment while trying to get her breath back until she could finally speak again. "Be happy he cares that much. I think it says a lot of nice things about him…Even if I did hear that he called you a lot of cute pet names."

Triela couldn't contain her blush. Hilshire had deviated considerably from their script, and had tortured her with embarrassing names the entire class period. From beginning till the end she had had to put up with "my cute niece," "my darling Triela," and worst of all "Princess." She hated that name with a passion. He knew that she hated it. He would pay for that one when she got home. Dearly.

"Yumi-sama! My day was enjoyable as well. How was yours?" Matsudaira injected, somewhat rudely.

Fukuzawa gave her a long look, before she suddenly stepped behind Matsudaira and wrapped her in an intimate hug. The girl squealed in anger and attempted to struggle out Fukuzawa's grip, muttering protests the entire time. However, Triela noticed with a practiced eye that the girl didn't protest too hard, and that her struggles were weak at best. Fukuzawa seemed to be aware of it as well, Triela noticed with some amusement. That shed some light on Matsudaira's…jealousy, perhaps?

"That's so sweet of you for asking, Touko! My day was fine." Fukuzawa replied, snuggling the girl a little closer. By this time, Matsudaira's face was almost completely red, and the girl looked as if she was close to hyperventilating. Fukuzawa slowly released her grip on the girl, running her hands lightly through the girl's hair, and strode ahead of her with a small smile.

Triela was impressed with Fukuzawa's handling of Matsudaira. She obviously knew at least a little about manipulating and controlling others. However, Triela was less impressed and somewhat more disturbed when she felt the girl's arms surround herself. She stiffened almost automatically, and did her best to not elbow the girl in the stomach. Or break her wrists. She was not comfortable with people being close. Not at all. That was a basic thing for all the girls of the SWA. She felt Fukuzawa's head rest on her shoulder, and she realized she could smell her shampoo. Some sort of flowery scent. Lavender, probably. It suited the girl perfectly.

"Don't worry, Triela-chan, I'm sure Mr. Hartmann meant well. Give yourself a few days to get used to the school. I'm sure your uncle is nervous as well. Give him a few days," her voice was suddenly filled with laughter," though I'm not sure if the names won't stick, Triela-hime." She let go suddenly, and skipped ahead, laughing, leaving Triela feeling quite uneasy.

The girl who was known as Rosa Chinesis en bouton was much more devious than she first appeared. When they had been in the Rose Mansion, she had come across as some kind of a joke. Ogasawara had not hesitated to make fun of her, despite Fukuzawa being her 'soeur', whatever that meant, as had the rest of the girls in the room. This was a remarkable contrast to the awe that the students at the gate had shown her. Some of them seemed to practically worship the ground she walked on. That left Triela with two entirely contrasting views of the girl and no real solid opinion upon which to base an opinion. Though, she had noticed that Ogasawara attracted the same sort of attention. The girls here must really be repressed to be all over these girls.

She studied Fukuzawa carefully as she chatted happily with the other girl who had accompanied them, Kanako something-or-other. She needed to figure out the girl's connection with her target. They were close, but how close? They had some sort of formal relationship; she had picked up that much. The soeur thing. But what did that say about their real relationship. Were they friends? Family? Perhaps even lovers like some of the rumors she had picked up around the class? How close should she try to get in order to get close to Ogasawara? Would she have to pull them apart in order to accomplish her objectives?

All too soon, as far as Triela was concerned, the group reached the Rose Mansion, and were climbing the stairs to the meeting room. The small group stopped before the door for a moment when they heard conversation from inside, but Fukuzawa opened the door and herded them through. Inside, Triela saw Ogasawara, the pale, ponytailed girl from the day before, and three girls that she had not met. One was an extremely tall mannish-looking brunette who sat at one end of the table, while the other girl that was seated at the other end was a remarkably beautiful brunette. The other unknown, this one with black hair, stood behind the brunette. Triela assumed that at least one, if not two of the three were the other officers she had not met.

"Ah, Yumi, Rosa Chinesis was telling me you have added another one to your growing harem. I'm glad you brought her. We need all the help with can get with the school festival approaching," said the tall one with a smile. The pony-tailed girl sitting next to her giggled into her hands.

Unlike the day before, however, Fukuzawa wasn't so quiet and meek. She merely blushed slightly, met the other girl's eyes, and put her hands on her hips. "Rosa Foetida! I am not building a harem! Collecting beautiful girls was more Sei-sama's style, not mine. I am merely…uh…guiding them. Any girl who wants to be involved in the Yamiyurikai should be allowed, too. Soeur or not. " She nodded decisively, and then took her spot in the chair beside Ogasawara.

As soon as she was seated, Ogasawara turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yumi dear,while that sentiment is good, just remember you will eventually need to decide. You have a responsibility, remember?" Yumi's blush returned full force, and she hung her head in a limp nod, all fire extinguished. Ogasawara turned to address Triela's group, "Excuse our words, we mean no offense. Please be seated so that we may begin."

Triela felt a moment of shared awkwardness with both Matsudaira and the Kanako girl as they exchanged nervous glances between each other before moving to sit in the remaining chairs. Matsudaira hurried to the one next to Fukuzawa, with the Kanako girl looking on with something like a mix between jealously and disdain. She picked the seat next to the black haired girl. Triela, with a shrug, took the seat next to the pony-tailed girl. She noted that there were exactly nine seats. So three officers, three assistants…and their assisstant's assistants, maybe? Was that what the soeur thing about? But there had been other people talking about their soeurs in class, so it couldn't be limited just to the officers.

Interrupting her thoughts, Ogasawara opened the meeting, "We have several things to get done today, so I'd like to keep this meeting short. But first, could everyone report on their tasks? Yumi, if you please?"

Fukuzawa had apparently been thinking about something else, because she had jumped when Ogasawara addressed her, to the amusement of all the older students at the table. "Uh…Umm…Oh, yes. Yuuki says that the Hanadera's Student Council is willing to help in anyway they can, thanks to the success of their festival this year. I brought up the idea of another play to him, and he seemed pretty receptive as long as we provided the costumes like last year. If that's so, I think we should go for that option if we can find a good play that can use most of their council and us. It'd be a pity if we couldn't involve all of them. Yuuki says they were all jealous that only Kashiwagi-san was permitted to attend last year. "

The rest of the girls muttered affirmatives and there was some discussion of possible options for plays which ended up going pretty much nowhere. Triela proceeded then to tune much of the rest of the meeting out. Administrative things were not her style. Action was. And it wasn't as if any of the information being discussed was all that important to her anyway. She found herself yawning as their voices droned on. Hopefully, if things went well on Henrietta and Jose's front, they could be out of here in a week. Triela yawned, again. Or a month at most. Certainly no…more…than…that…

She was woken some time later by a light tap on her shoulder, that sent her instantly into action without thinking. She rolled out of her chair and under the table in one smooth motion, and attempted to draw a nonexistent gun from a nonexistent holster before she even fully recognized where she was. The utter silence that filled the room, clued her into what exactly she had done, even before Fukuzawa had knelt worriedly at the edge of the table to check on her.

"Triela-hime? Is…something the matter?" she asked in a small, worried voice.

"Umm…Ahh…Err…" Triela stammered, attempted to control her blush, facial expression, and voice at the same time with little success on all three fronts. Diving under the table was not the reaction of a high school student to being poked awake. It was not the reaction of any sort of normal person. She had been careless, again. If she kept making these stupid mistakes, she'd be found out in no time.

"Well, we certainly know why her uncle seems so over protective of her, don't we? She jumps at the slightest touch." Said the ponytailed girl sitting next to where she had been sitting. There was silence for a moment before the rest of the girls giggled nervously. Triela did her best not to embarrass herself any further, crawling slowly out from the table. When she finally was completely out from under the table, she attempted to straighten herself gracefully. However, she had failed to notice that she had stepped on her skirt while shuffling, resulting in her falling ungracefully once again.

The room was silent for a moment once again, before the girl's began laughing in earnest. Triela gave up trying to control her blush, and simply got to her feet, and refused to look at any of them. Why did it have to be skirts? Hadn't the Japanese every heard of girls wearing pants?

"Well, she certainly seems to possess Yumi's natural gift for comedy," said Rosa Foetida between laughs, which set off the entire room once again.

Ears and face burning, Triela didn't know quite what to do. Few of her experiences in undercover operations had involved girls of her own age. She didn't know quite how to respond. She knew how'd she'd react with Henrietta or Claes, but here she wasn't so sure. Social manners were taught at the SWA, not how to be social. It wasn't required for their line of work. She wasn't used to being made fun of and being confused. It made her nervous and jumpy. She wanted to leave. She could feel their eyes on her. They could expose her. She wanted to go back home to the SWA away from these strange people and this strange place to missions that made –

Suddenly, she heard Fukuzawa shout, "Please leave Triela alone, onee-samas! It's her first week, and you are not making a good impression. Please give her a break!"

The room quieted almost instantly, as the girls composed themselves with remarkable speed. Triela suddenly found herself breathing easier without really any knowledge that she had been breathing hard at all. The world slowly seemed to right itself and stop shaking, and the black and red that had been creeping into her vision retreated. She took a deep breath, and sat hard on the hardwood floor with an unladylike thump.

"Are you okay, Triela-hime?" Fukuzawa asked, worriedly, kneeling down next to her. The girls behind her now had worried looks on their faces rather than laughter. Triela took another deep breath. The girls were definitely not out to get her. She had no reason to freak out. They were normal people who simply were having a little fun at her expense. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"I…I'm fine. Just a little…nervous…" she managed, doing her best to shrug off Fukuzawa's concern and get back to her feet.

Fukuzawa gave her a worried look, then turned to face the rest of the room and put her hands on her hips, "Shame on you all! Triela-hime has just transferred to a school in a country she's never been too. She's in an unfamiliar place, around unfamiliar people. It's no wonder she's so jumpy and nervous! Please be a little more forgiving!" Even Ogasawara had a guilty face after that short lecture, and the rest of the room offered gracious apologies. And they were even serious. She would never understand these girls.

There was a moment of awkward silence while the girls shuffled their feet and stared anywhere than at Triela before Rosa Foetida coughed into her hands, and began speaking, "…Well then, we should probably get back to business. Yumi, can you and your gaggle of girls handle talking with the Handicrafts, Newspaper, and Judo clubs? They're the only ones who haven't submitted their festival ideas yet. Yoshino, Noriko, can you talk with Dance club and Theatre club about possible play ideas?" The two girl's whose names she didn't know nodded, "Rosa Chinesis, Rosa Gigantea, and I will handle the budget meeting with the principal. Any questions? No? Alright, let's get to work!"

The girl's around the table let out a small, ragged cheer, and separated into their designated groups. Triela kept close to Fukuzawa, not quite having the courage to mingle after her small incident. Which was fine because the older girl quickly rounded up her three underclassmen and ushered them out the door and down the stairs. She instructed them on their tasks as they descended. "Kanako, can you handle the Handicrafts Club? And Touko, can you visit the Newspaper Club? I'll take Triela with me to the Judo Club. That way we can get this done quickly and see if the others need help."

The Kanako girl just nodded gracefully, but Matsudaira, of course, raised a fuss, "Why does she get to go with you Yumi-sama?"

Fukuzawa reached ahead and pinched the girl lightly on the cheek. "Because I know you can handle the Newspaper Club by yourself. I wouldn't want to send Triela-hime there, Minako-san would eat her right up. Captain Ayako of the Judo club is the least frightening out of the three she'd have to meet. Plus, she's new here, Touko. Someone has to show her around. If I told her to go find the Judo club by herself, she'd likely spend hours trying to find it." Matsudaira looked both very pleased by the compliment and disappointed that she hadn't gotten her way. The girl was worse at concealing her feelings that Fukuzawa.

At the door, they split up after a polite farewell and headed their separate ways. Triela found herself alone with Fukuzawa walking the tree lined path toward what she assumed were some sort of athletic buildings. She stole a brief glance at her, again attempting to figure the girl out. She seemed to have considerable influence, was well liked, and was a close something-or-other to her target. And she had instantly leapt to the defense of a girl who seemed to be causing her some sort of trouble. She was-

"Are you feeling better now?" Fukuzawa asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Ahh…Yes, Fukuzawa-san, I-" Triela began, but was cut off.

"Yumi is fine. Yumi-sama is proper, I suppose, when around the others, but addressing others by their first names is the way it is at Lillian," Fukuzawa instructed with a small smile.

That made things simpler. She wasn't used to calling people by their last names to their faces anyway. "Then, Yumi-sama, could you tell me…umm…what exactly is going on? People are telling really strange rumours about us, and I'm not quite sure why," she couldn't help but blush, "Some of them are quite…uhh…improper."

Fukuzawa blushed slightly as well, "I don't suppose you know what a soeur is do you?"

"It means sister in French…but that doesn't mean much at a Japanese boarding school." Triela said with a bit of her usual edge. The proper atmosphere of the school couldn't drain it all out of her.

Fukuzawa giggled a bit, "I guess it doesn't, does it? It's a bit like a mentor partnership. The upperclassman takes care of the underclassman, and in return the underclassman works for the upperclassman and helps her out. It's a tradition here at Lillian."

Triela thought about that for a few moments, letting a few of her assumptions, guesses, and questions fall by the wayside. It was pretty much as expected from what she had observed. Not that she had believed any of the rumors that it might mean lovers… "If it's a tradition, why are they making a big deal out of me?"

Fukuzawa sighed and was silent for a moment. When she finally spoke, she sounded a little tired, "Because I'm Rosa Chinesis en bouton and I don't have a soeur. The girls here love to gossip about the Yamayurikai, and this is about the juiciest topic they've had in months. Not to mention that Onee-sama has publically made it quite clear that she expects me to make a choice soon."

Triela suddenly understood, "And…Touko-san and Kanako-san are the possible choices, right? And they both seem to want it," she thought a little bit more, "…And they think I'm a new competitor right? That I might get the position. That's why Touko-san keeps complaining and following me around. She's afraid I'm going to steal you."

Fukuzawa nodded. "That's about the whole of it," she put her arm around Triela's shoulder and pulled her close in a conciliatory hug. Triela managed not to flinch for the first time. She was surprised how warm the other girl felt. "I'm sorry that we've caused you all this trouble. If I were a new student I know I wouldn't want that sort of attention. No wonder you almost fainted when everyone started laughing at you." She released her, and they walked in silence for a few minutes.

All of a sudden, Yumi began giggling. As Triela watched in confusion, the giggling became all out laughter, that eventually forced the girls to stop. After another minute of laughter, Yumi calmed down enough to explain herself, "It's a bit ironic, I suppose. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much you are like me, Triela-hime. When Sachiko-sama chose me, it was like I was thrown into the spotlight. No, that's exactly what it was. One day, I was just your average girl, the next I was walking and talking with the most respected people on campus. No wonder Tsutako keeps bugging me about you."

Triela sensed an opening to learn more about Ogasawara as well as about Yumi, but just as she opened her mouth to probe further on the matter, she felt a hand touch her shoulder from behind. Realizing it wasn't Yumi, she reacted instinctively; pivoting slightly, grabbing the offending arm, and throwing the person behind with all of her might over her shoulder and onto the ground in front of her. Yumi let out a muffled gasp, but Triela paid her no attention. Hunter's vision had descended, and there was only the assailant in front of her.

It was female, roughly 17 or 18 years of age, short hair, average height for a Japanese woman, slim but not overly thin. The target's expression, was one of surprise, but strangely also of delight. Triela filed that thought away, but pushed it to the back of her mind. The female seemed alright. More than alright, actually. She didn't even seem winded by the fall. She had compensated in some fashion and had landed favorably somehow. Trained? Was it an assassin? Or just cannon fodder? Her head quickly came up slightly to scan the area, though she kept one eye on her captive. No other approaching assailaints. Had only this one-

"Captain Ayako! Are you okay?" Yumi's worried shout cut through the red, and brought her back to reality. The girl sitting in front of her was wearing a Lillian uniform. She had just attacked a student. Was she paying any attention at all? Why was she this jittery?

"Never mind that, Yumi-san," the girl said dismissively, "Tell me that you were bringing this gem of a girl to me. I haven't been thrown that cleanly since districts last year. You brought her to join the Judo club, right?"

Triela looked down at the girl. She had a feeling something completely beyond her control was about to happen.

Triela stumbled into their small apartment, and collapsed on their couch. She could hear Hilshire in the kitchen, and could smell some delicious from the oven. Hilshire, as it turned out, wasn't that bad of a cook. She supposed that it had come from years of living on his own.

He stuck his head into the living room, "Anything to report, Triela?"

She frowned at him, "I still haven't forgiven you for this morning, Hilshire."

He didn't look at all cowed. He didn't even look apologetic. Not that she really expected him to. Instead he shrugged "It helped, didn't it? Now you're someone for your class to watch out for, and I'm the slightly eccentric, but approachable history teacher. You'll get over it."

She sighed and brooded quietly for a moment, before beginning her report, "I learned a little bit about the relationship between Ogasawara and Yu…Fukuzawa, as well as why I've been in so many rumours. Oh, and I apparently have joined the Judo club."

Hilshire gave her a strange look, that looked like some strange cross between confusion, amusement, and something like pride. "That's not in our mission profile, how'd that happen?" He wandered back towards the kitchen, and she heard him rummaging around in the cabinets for something.

Triela sighed and shifted to get more comfortable on the couch, "Yumi-san and I had gone to visit the Judo club to collect some paperwork for the Student Council. The captain snuck up on me and well…I reacted badly and threw her. She was apparently really impressed by my technique. Impressed enough that she refused to hand over the paperwork until I agreed to join," she massaged her temples, "She was really persistent. We were there for two hours."

She heard Hilshire laugh from the kitchen, "Look at the bright side, at least you'll be able to keep in shape a bit. It'll firm up your cover a bit, too."

She rolled her eyes, even though Hilshire couldn't see, "I'm glad you're taking so much pleasure in my suffering. How am I supposed to complete the mission with so many extra things to do?"

* * *

Wow, it's been a long time. I apologize everybody. I've been up to my ears in school work. Senior year of college = not fun. And even less time to write. My writing time is the two hours a week I spend in the laundry room with no internet to do actual work. Oh well.

This chapter is waaaay longer than I intended it. I was hoping this story would end up smaller than my others, so I could do updates quicker, but that seems to be a failure. Couple notes. One, I know my use of honorifics is inconsistent in this chapter. I generally try to cut out as much of them as possible, because I think it makes it flow better, but with Maria-sama, they are kind of necessary. I'll try something else next chapter. Also, Triela's breakdown scene was a pain to write, and I'm still terribly displeased with it, but unless I expand it to a huge piece of writing, I don't think it'd be good no matter I did with it. And finally, Yumi is terribly OC. Gah, but darnit, I need a mover for the story, because Triela's not nearly motivated enough to do it herself.

Next chapter will hopefully progress into darker material as (again hopefully) more elements of GG come in. However, next chapter of Something first. Or maybe a Higurashi shot. Whatever strikes me. Hopefully will get a good bit of writing done over Thanksgiving break. Til next time!


	4. Movement

Disclaimer: I do not own Gunslinger Girl or Maria-sama ga Miteru and I have no intention of profiting from this story.

Bloodstained Rose – A Gunslinger Girl/Maria-sama ga Miteru Crossover

Chapter 4 - Movement

As Triela had predicted, during the next month she rarely had time to really learn much about Ogasawara, despite the fact she saw her nearly everyday. Apparently her target hadn't lied when she had said that the student council needed every bit of help that it could get. Triela was kept busy running errands and helping out all over the school. One day she would be helping create maps for the festival's stands, the next she'd be taking notes for one of the upperclassmen during meetings with the school, class, and club leaders. She'd even gone to visit the boy's school next door with Ogasawara and Yumi. For some reason, they were helping out. It was some sort of 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' sort of thing. Apparently. But still everyday was filled with meeting new people and doing odd jobs with her new classmates.

On top of all that, Captain Ayako of the judo club had made it her life's mission to see Triela in their dojo as close to everyday as she could manage. The girl was almost creepily persistent. Scratch that, she was creepily persistent. She'd show up after class or when she was finished with her Yamayurikai work 'to show her the way to the dojo so she didn't get lost.' This was a perfectly acceptable excuse the first time she had used it. Everyday, for the next several weeks, however, was seriously pushing it. Triela had even attempted to sneak past the girl. That had ended tragically enough. She'd almost made it to the gates, when the girl had _dropped down from one of the trees above the path_ and had announced that 'Triela had managed to get lost after all.' If Triela had had a gun, the girl's head would have been fine mist before she had even hit the ground. Instead, she'd merely been a ball of nerves for the rest of the week, looking for signs of ambush from the obsessed girl everywhere.

Still she supposed that it really wasn't all that bad. The Captain was exceptionally skilled at Judo, and while that certainly wasn't enough to defeat Triela's augmented strength and speed, it was good enough for a decent workout. A few of the other girls in the club weren't all that bad, either, though none of them were much of a match for either of them. And if nothing else, the Captain's strange persistence kept Triela's paranoia in high gear. It wouldn't be good for her to lose her edge in this ridiculously soft environment.

And on top of both of those was school itself, which was both more and less challenging than she had thought it would be. Math, science, and English classes were a breeze for her. She had received plenty of instruction in those at the SWA. Hilshire's class, History, was a bit more challenging because she wasn't nearly as versed in world history. Italian history she knew quite well, but the history of anywhere else was sort of a toss of a coin whether she knew it or not. However, the class she was having the most trouble in was Japanese. She could speak it just fine. She'd always had a knack for speaking in other languages. Writing it, however, was proving to be a challenge. Two different alphabets, and then something like 2000 kanji. And those were the one's in common use. There were far more waiting in the wings to spring on her when she least expected it. She didn't know how the Japanese remembered them all. She certainly was having enough trouble remembering even the basics.

Thankfully, Yumi, and to some smaller degree the rest of the student council, were there to help, as Hilshire seemed to be having the same difficulties, despite the fact that he had apparently learned the language in college. Useless man. The girls had been tutoring her, and she would tutor him in what she had learned when she got home. With her hectic schedule, it wasn't easy, but somehow she was making it work. It made for a lot of sleepless nights, but she was a cyborg. That was the kind of stress she was put together to take. Though even she was feeling a bit worn down with her crazy schedule.

To be honest, however, she really couldn't complain. With everything together: the stress, the student council work, the problems with school, she was about as inconspicuous at school as she could possibly get. She was still in the spotlight, of course, her status as an international student, if nothing else (and there was plenty else) guaranteed her some extra attention, but she doubted that any of the students or teachers suspected that Triela Hartmann was a cyborg agent of the Italian government hell-bent on discovering whether one of the student's family was supporting terrorism. If she had given them a clue, she wasn't quite sure where she had found the time to do so.

"Triela-hime! Could you run to the mansion, and see if there is any tape? One of the props for the play broke and it needs a quick fix. We wasted the last roll we had on the curtain fixes!" shouted one of the drama club girls whose name she hadn't learned yet. Triela was out the door almost before the girl was finished. She was assigned to the stage today; running errands for whatever clubs were practicing at the given time and making sure they stuck to the practice schedule. The drama club, however, had done the set-up for their own event the day before. Today they were working on the set-up for the Yamayurikai's play which was turning out to be much larger show than Triela had ever expected.

Ogasawara was directing, and Triela had learned the hard way that she had a somewhat odd sense of humor. They were performing a play called 'Torikaebaya Monogatari,' which was some sort of Japanese folk-tale about a brother and sister who acted opposite of their gender. Or something. She hadn't quite gotten all of the subtext. She wasn't sure if anyone else participating had gotten it all either. Anyway, Ogasawara had decided that since the play was already playing with sex roles, why not take it a little further, and just switch _everyone's_ gender. So girls were playing all of the guy's roles and guys were playing all the girls roles. It might have been funnier to her if she hadn't found herself cast as a particularly horny prince. Yumi had laughed when she had complained which had only made it worse.

Another benefit of all of her errand running was that Triela had learned the layout of the campus far quicker and, to be completely honest, better than she would have simply by exploring it herself. Which was why, in extraordinarily short order, she arrived at the Rose Mansion only slightly winded, rather than exhausted from going the long way around. The…well, not really a rule, but perhaps the unwritten ban on running was lifted during the preparations for the festivals. Girls could be found scurrying from building to building all over campus as they rushed to complete this or that. She hadn't quite been able to run, due to the skirt (also still known as the complete bane of her existence), but she had managed a hurried walk through the maze of buildings that was Lillian Catholic Girls' School.

She didn't even bother to knock these days, not that it generally mattered as the meeting room was upstairs, and most times there was no one in the foyer. She was surprised, however, when she walked into a room full of half dressed girls. She blinked in confusion for a moment with the door behind her wide open, before she came to her senses, blushed, and slammed the door shut behind her. The members of the Yamayurikai who had been changing were a bit confused, but almost as one, they started giggling, much to Triela's dismay.

"Goodness gracious, judging by your face and how hard you slammed that door, Triela-hime, I thought that you were expecting a horde of slobbering men to descend upon us," wryly commented Yoshino, the pig-tailed little sister of Rosa Foetida.

"This is a girl's school, Triela; you shouldn't worry so much. The Hanadera Student Council doesn't come till tomorrow," said Rosa Gigantea, kindly. As she was the most undressed, clad only in a bra and underwear, Triela thought that she was rather calm, even if they were in a girl's school. Weren't there male teachers after all? That said, Triela was extremely uncomfortable showing any skin. She was a cyborg, after all, and while the doctors were very good, there were still plenty of physical scars.

"…I just didn't want to embarrass anyone!" she managed with a sniff (she'd been spending too much time around Touko, really) that was greeted by more laughter, and tried to navigate her way through the group of nearly nude women. She had forgotten that the Sewing club was supposed to bring the costumes for fitting today. Not that it mattered; she'd be in and out with the tape she was sent to get. Without embarrassing anyone, most notably herself, any further.

The tape was easy to find once she managed to get into the storage room. They had apparently stocked up on it, as there was an entire box full of it. Made sense. Tape was useful for just about anything. The desired material in hand, Triela took a deep breath and waded once more out in the gaggle of girls, who thankfully were now mostly dressed. Except of course, for Yumi, who was being manhandled by Sachiko and one of the Sewing Club girls. She wanted to laugh, but that would probably catch their attention, and she had learned that both Sachiko and Yumi believed turnabout was fair-play. So she did her best to get to the door unobtrusively.

She almost made it to the door. In fact, her hand had touched the knob and was in the process of turning it, when she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder. She flinched, though she had long ago managed to suppress the instinct to subdue anyone who touched her. She recognized the light but unshakably firm grip. She knew what was coming next and did her best not to let her reluctance show as she turned around.

"…Yes, Yumi-sama?" she asked, facing the girl with a polite, questioning look on her face.

Yumi was smiling, as always. Triela had done her best over the past few weeks to find something sinister or deceptive behind that smile, just in case the girl was somehow involved in the whole Ogasawara business. And for her own sanity. The girl was just…just…so damn honest. It frightened Triela. Yumi was certainly capable of manipulating people (though generally for their own good, as she had discovered…and experienced more often than she really wished to) but she was singularly incapable of lying. And if she ever tried, she'd never fool anyone, because her expressions were just as honest as the rest of her. "Triela-hime, were you planning on nipping in and out of here without even trying on your costume?" she lightly scolded, mischief dancing in her eyes.

Triela, however, was a consummate liar. Without missing a beat, and with her face perfectly composed, she answered, "No, Yumi-sama, I wouldn't dream of doing such an improper thing. But the Drama Club really needs this tape. They are working on the stage set-up for our play, as you know." She really had been hanging out with Touko too much.

Kanako Hosakawa, the third member of Yumi's little group of underclassmen, apparently thought so, too, as the tall girl was doing her best to hide a laugh behind her hand. The rest of the girls in the room took note, and almost as one, centered suspicious (and mildly amused) gazes on Triela. She briefly contemplated just throwing open the door and escaping down the path towards the auditorium, but that action would certainly have consequences. She wasn't sure how much more teasing she could take. They had already discovered that she was ticklish, she didn't need to hand them any more material. That particular incident still brought tears of laughter to Hilshire's eyes every time he heard it.

"Noriko can take the tape," said Ogasawara in a tone that was less of a suggestion and more of an order. She knew that tone, Hilshire used it all the time, "You, however, will stay to be fitted. You've managed to escape most of the fittings so far; today, I will not allow it," she smiled to show that the rebuke was meant kindly.

Not that it mattered much how she meant it, it still meant she hadn't managed to escape. Noriko, Rosa Gigantea's _petite soeur_, grabbed the tape and was out the door in an eye blink. The rest of the girl's, laughing and giggling the entire time, dragged Triela deeper into the foyer, and much to her great discomfort, attempted to help her get out of her school uniform.

No matter how comfortable she had gotten with the girls, how much she let them touch her despite every instinct saying otherwise, there were some violations of privacy that she couldn't allow. And there were far too many of them, they were crowding her. Too many people far too close, and she could barely defend herself. At the moment, she wasn't even allowed, to defend herself. "I can do it myself! Back off!" she growled, deeper and perhaps more angry than she had wished.

The girls drew back hurriedly, surprised looks on their faces. Except Yumi, who probably out of all of them knew what was acceptable and what wasn't when it came to Triela's personal space. And to be honest, most of the rest of them knew how prickly she could be. They were just being busybodies. But Ogasawara was having none of it; not today for some reason. "You will need help getting into your costume, Triela. Your temper will not help any. You should know that we have nothing but good will towards you."

Triela refused to feel guilty as she undressed in almost sulky silence. Her personal habits and preferences were certainly not Ogasawara's business. Of course, the opposite was certainly not true. Though she wasn't quite sure what this new behavior from her target meant. This was the most confrontational that the girl had been with her since they had met. Perhaps it was nerves. The girl had put a lot of time into this play after all. And Triela _had_ skipped all of the fittings. Quite on purpose, though she wasn't sure if Ogasawara suspected that or not. She was willing to bet she did. The girl was extremely sharp. Not to mention naturally suspicious.

She finished undressing with little fanfare, facing the group the entire time with a scowl on her face and doing her absolute best to keep her back to the wall. She was not embarrassed. Or ashamed. Never. The scars on her back were the proof of her occupation and her dedication. And she was not jealous of the girls' smooth skin. Not in the least. That sort of thing was useless in her profession, after all…At least she was comparable (if not slightly larger) in bust size with most of the girls. Not that that said much in this crowd.

Ogasawara looked her over with a measured eye, and as always, Triela met her look head-on. She had learned that one never gave into the girl if one wanted to have some sense of control of one's life, not even once. If you gave her just that little bit, she'd walk all over you. And she'd do it so damn politely that you would never even notice. Or maybe even thank her for it later. A little bit like Yumi, really, but with more poise and far less kindness. Not that Ogasawara was really paying that much attention to her show of spirit at the moment.

"She's going to need the pants hemmed a little bit," she sighed in irritation, "And it might be a little tight across the chest area. I knew it was a mistake to use your measurements there, Yumi," the girl in question blushed crimson. Yumi was so easily embarrassed by her sister; it was really kind of funny. Though less funny that she seemed to willing to pass it down to her own juniors, "But, we can't really change that at this point. Triela, you'll just have to live with it." She finished with a frown.

"You can tell all that from just looking at me naked, Sachiko-sama?" Triela questioned with a slightly raised eyebrow. She was being remarkably specific.

Ogasawara raised an eyebrow of her own. "Do you doubt my judgment, Triela-hime?"

Triela winced at the nickname. Unlike the rest of the girls, who by this point had begun using the nickname unconsciously, to her extreme irritation, Ogasawara never used it unless she was trying to make a point. And five minutes later, when she was dressed in the whole uncomfortable get-up, she admitted, if only to herself (though the rest of the girls could obviously see it) that Ogasawara had been correct, right down in the slightly uncomfortable tightness in the chest area. However she was willing to forgive her. After all, she was back in a pair of pants. There were ridiculously baggy things meant to be some sort of court attire, but they were pants nonetheless. She was free, if only for a short time, of the accursed skirt!

The girls from the Sewing club took careful measurements, and then backed off, and Triela patiently allowed herself to be mobbed by the student council members, who were going on about how manly and handsome she looked. It wasn't quite the compliment she was looking for. Despite everything else, she was a girl after all. But she knew that if she let them fawn for a few minutes, they would leave her in peace later. She was at least thankful that Yumi had the sense to stay away from the crowd, though she had winked at her a bit. The girl was meddling again, she was sure.

After those few painful moments of far too many people far too inside her personal space she was allowed to undress, and return to her normal clothing with her modesty intact. Including the damned skirt. She almost got away with keeping the pants, but one of the Sewing Club girls caught her before they walked out. It had been a nice try, anyway. Maybe she should just start wearing the tracksuit everywhere. Or claim to have some sort of nasty skin condition. That might get her out of it.

She almost missed hearing Ogasawara's call for her attention as she was grumbling to herself. The girl beckoned her upstairs, and Triela debated for a moment whether just to stick her tongue out at her and make a run for door. Good sense and curiosity, as well as the mission, kept her from doing so. She hadn't talked with Ogasawara alone…since they had met, she realized with a start. There just weren't any opportunities. Anytime she was around Ogasawara, she was generally being dragged somewhere by Yumi with the rest of the underclassmen girls. It wasn't purposeful, she was sure, but it had certainly been effective in keeping her away.

She followed the girl up the stairs to the meeting room upstairs, which was thankfully free of most of the noise from downstairs. Triela was used to the sounds and crowded spaces of Rome, but even after a month, being trapped in a small room with all those girls put her on edge. Ogasawara took a seat at the small table that was the centerpiece of the room, and gestured for her to sit opposite of her, which she did without complaint. "What can I do for you, Sachiko-sama?" she asked, doing her best to take control of the conversation from the outset and not let her irritation show.

Sachiko raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly back in her chair with an expression of mild surprise. "My, my, why would you think that I would need something from you? Can I not just wish to chat with one of the girls that follow my dear little sister so obediently?"

"I do NOT follow obediently," Triela half-heartedly answered, "Yumi-sama does her best to drag me into just about everything. Touko and Kanako, now, they both follow obediently." This was not entirely the truth, and not entirely a lie. She did often follow Yumi. There was something about the girl that, despite her natural wariness and the girl's uncanny ability to get past her barriers, that Triela _liked._ And Triela was well aware that Ogasawara had hijacked the conversation effortlessly. But she couldn't let that remark stand uncontested. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

Ogasawara giggled a little bit, and like everything else about her, it was refined and controlled. It wasn't fake, forced, or even mean-spirited; it just sounded…purposefully pleasant, she supposed. Something that wouldn't offend anyone who heard it. "I see, I see. But you have managed quite well since you have arrived here, Triela-san. I really would like to express my highest gratitude to you for so whole-heartedly throwing yourself into the preparations. Without you and the rest of Yumi's little…group," Harem was not a word that high class ladies used, apparently, even as a joke, despite the widespread adoption of the term by the rest of the school. "We certainly would not have accomplished nearly as much as we have. I think you've proven yourself a worthy student of Lillian."

Triela blinked, and quickly examined the girl's remarks for hidden messages or meanings, and came to the conclusion that there really weren't any. Ogasawara had a purpose for this meeting, she was more than certain, but she wasn't quite sure what. Maybe it was just to thank her. She had been doing a lot of extra work, completely without any benefit (as far as Ogasawara should know, at least) to herself. Ogasawara was the complete opposite of Yumi. Yumi's thoughts and emotions could be read like a book; Ogasawara's were buried deep behind a passively pleasant face. "No need to thank me, Sachiko-san. I have learned a great deal about the school and made a number of friends here. I'm sure if I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have settled nearly so well so quickly."

Ogasawara smiled, but her tone was serious. "This is true. You've managed to quickly make yourself a part of all our lives. However, have you decided what you are going to do after the festival ends?"

Triela blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, Sachiko-sama?"

Sachiko leaned back in her chair and gave Triela a considering look that put Triela on edge, "As far as I am concerned, your period of self-inflicted servitude to the Yamayurikai will end when the festival does. We've had you do a great deal of work, perhaps a bit unjustly, and I'm sure this wasn't quite what you imagined when you agreed to help us. I will consider your obligation to us as fulfilled."

Well, that was certainly true. She certainly hadn't been prepared for this when she and Hilshire had come up with this method of getting close to the target. "I haven't really minded that much, Sachiko-sama. It's been very enjoyable."

And with something like shock, Triela realized that it had been. Almost since day one, she'd been enjoying herself here. Sure, some things had bothered her, like the constant attention from most of the students and everyone's strange need to touch her and invade her space, but she found herself discounting those as small concerns. Instead she remembered quiet walks with Yumi, arguments with Touko and Kanako, and the strange feeling that she got when all of them together. She got the same sort of feeling with the rest of the girls of SWA. She supposed it was friendship, though she hadn't really considered that term before. It was a little frightening, really. She realized with a twinge of guilt that she was getting far too attached to this place.

She snapped back to reality as she realized that Sachiko was giving her the considering look again. She restrained the urge to look at the clock to see how long she had been distracted. That would only give Ogasawara more of an opening. One the girl could certainly exploit with a skill and finesse that far surpassed Triela's own. She might have a talent for languages, but talking had never been her strong point. That had always been Hilshire's job.

Sachiko's look slowly morphed into a genuine smile. "Yes, it has been fun hasn't it? Everyone has been working and coming together to put on this festival with all their hearts. Which is why I ask you what are your plans for after the festival? Triela, where is your heart leading you?"

"I…I don't understand Sachiko-sama." Triela stammered out. That was a question that was completely out of the blue. Though she had a sinking feeling that she knew where this line of questioning was going.

If anything, the amused look on Ogasawara's face grew. "Am I being unclear? What I'm asking, Triela, is if you are interested in being Yumi's _petite soeur_?"

Triela gulped and blushed red. "Uh…Err..Ahh…Bwa—wa-wa-What are you asking, Sachiko-sama?"

Ogasawara laughed, and this time it was a completely genuine one. "No need to answer now, Triela. Not that it would do you much good, either. It is, after all, up to my Yumi to decide. However," her face became serious all of a sudden, "I do approve of you, you know. You are a hard worker, and can take and give orders. These are important traits for a Rose. They can be learned with time, but you already seem to possess them. If you chose to go for it, I will support you."

Triela wasn't quite sure what to feel. On one hand, she felt warm all over. It was like if Hilshire praised her for a mission well done, or when one of the other girls and the SWA said something nice about her. She didn't know why, but she had always craved that sort of approval. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed hanging around Yumi. The girl was absolutely open with approval. On the other hand, she was dismayed that it had caused such a huge reaction. This was a _mission_. She couldn't be involved. She had to concentrate on Ogasawara and finding out her connection to her family business, if it existed at all. She should be able to shrug this sort of thing off, and proceed with a smile.

Her prolonged silence seemed to indicate something to Ogasawara, as she began speaking in a kindly tone. "Don't worry about the others. I've approached them as well. I will say that, honestly, I favor my cousin Touko over both you and Kanako, and not just for family reasons However, all three of you have what it takes to be Yumi's little sister, and to possibly become Rosa Chinesis someday, if you so choose. All three of you are excellent examples of young ladies," she frowned and sighed, "Though, you still have far to go when it comes to walking like a lady. You really are hopeless in that skirt."

"Sachiko-sama!" Triela growled, whatever weakness that had been inspired by her kind words instantly evaporating at the mention of the dreaded skirt. The woman just laughed and shrugged it off. She stood, and Triela reluctantly did so as well, glaring daggers at her the entire time. She wasn't sure now if Ogasawara had been setting her up the entire time or had meant any of it. The woman was far too canny a manipulator and knew Triela far better than Triela knew her.

"Oh, and Triela, you were right, by the way," she winked mischievously, "I do have a favor to ask of you." Sachiko said as they walked out the door and back into the hallway.

"Oh?" Triela replied, still a little off balance.

"Do you mind being a translator for my family during the festival? We have a guest coming in from Italy this weekend, and my parents have invited him to join them when they come to the festival. He generally has a good Japanese translator with him, but I think it would be awkward if he had to come. Not to mention that the translator might miss some of the things that are unique to our school." Ogasawara requested, with perhaps more than a bit of irony, as Triela herself was still far from an expert herself.

Triela's jumbled mind suddenly came into sharp focus. "Certainly, Sachiko-sama. I would be delighted to help. It'll give me a chance to speak Italian again. My Uncle and I have been trying to speak nothing but Japanese, even at home. It would be good practice." She replied smoothly. This could possibly the chance that they were waiting for.

"Excellent. I will relay that to my parents. They will be extremely pleased." Ogasawara said with a smile and a polite nod.

"Oh, and do you mind if my Uncle tags along as well? I think he'd appreciate the chance to speak with someone from home, as well." Triela asked. She had to get him involved if possible. She knew a number of the suspected Padinia agents by sight, but she wasn't perfect, and with Hilshire there the chance of identifying the agent (if it was one, the opposite was a possibility) rose significantly. And after all, she felt better with him at her back anyway.

Ogasawara appeared to consider it for a moment, before nodding slowly. "I don't see a problem with it, but I will have to ask my parents. I don't believe that they would say no," Ogasawara made an uncharacteristically irritated face, "They take every opportunity to meet with my teachers. I'm sure they will approve."

Triela thanked her, then bowed and walked away, feeling for the second time today mildly torn inside. This could be the break that she and Hilshire were looking for, the lead that might possibly break open the case. At the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted to break the case open. This place was unsettling, but at the same time, it was surprisingly _comfortable._ She hadn't even been attending that long, but it already felt like she fit; the way she did when she was with the other girls at the SWA. It was unsettling.

But she would do her duty. Hilshire was expecting it of her. He had to know.

* * *

Been a while, ne? As always, I claim life gets in the way. The excuse this time? New job. Would have had this out about two weeks ago, if it weren't for that. Still months behind schedule, but considering I started this chapter a month ago, actually a pretty short turn around for a chapter as far as I go.

Anyway, chapter gave me fits. Almost completely scrapped the entire thing and started again from scratch. The mantra for this entire chapter in my head was "Must…get…plot…moving." I wanted to do at least another chapter of Triela's-Magical-Happy-Misadventures-at-school, but I really couldn't come up with a justification to do so in my mind. So a time skip and an info dump. Hopefully the rest of it flows better. Triela is all over the place: happy, sad, sulky, off-balance, focused. I hope she doesn't seem to OC. Sachiko, however, came out essentially as I wanted her to.

Anyway, next chapter will really get the ball rolling as far as the investigation and serious stuff goes. And maybe some more fun with translator errors. Anyway, continuing my cycle, _Something to Die For_ comes next. And don't be surprised if some Haibane Renmei stuff gets up in the next few months. I have too much free time at work, and have been writing stuff there on this ridiculously tiny notepad they gave me.

See ya next chapter!


	5. Information

Disclaimer: I do not own either Gunslinger Girl or Maria-sama ga Miteru and have no intention of profiting from this story

_Bloodstained Rose _– A Gunslinger Girl/Maria-sama ga Miteru Crossover

Chapter 5 - Information

"Rosa Foetida! Rosa Foetida! The Tea Ceremony Club needs more chairs and tables! 30 more people showed up to our event than we expected!" a girl shouted, panting heavily. She had joined a bustling crowd of other girls whose classes or clubs needed something. It had been like that since they had opened the office for business a few hours before the festival started. It was a testament to the Yamayurikai's hard work that the room wasn't filled beyond capacity.

Rosa Foetida looked up from the room layout she was studying. "Yoshino, grab Noriko and some of the Hanadera boys when they get back with those cords for the Computer club and grab those chairs and tables. There's a few more piles of them in the gym storeroom." Then she turned back and studied the layout for a few more moments, before continuing her conversation with the representative of one of the third year classes.

Touko jogged in, carrying several bundles of raffle tickets which she handed to several impatient members of the Archery club, who scampered off as soon as they had the items in their hands. Though Triela was on the other side of the room, she could hear Touko's disdainful sniff at the members' impoliteness. She would have giggled if she hadn't been frantically scribbling notes on last minute scheduling changes that Rosa Gigantea and Yumi were dictating to her. She already had a sign prepared for the changes, but it looked like she had made it too small for all of the changes. Kanako was scrounging around somewhere for a bigger piece of poster board, but Triela doubted she'd be able to find anything larger that wasn't already scribbled on.

There were only two people in the room who weren't scrambling around frantically. The first was Ogasawara. It would probably break some fundamental law of the universe for Ogasawara to appear anything other than unruffled. She was expertly calming a student who had nearly been hyperventilating in her panic to get… well whatever it was she needed. Triela hadn't been able to make out what it was that she needed over the girl's frantic gasps for air.

The other person was Hilshire. He was standing in the back of the room, watching the hustle and bustle with equal parts amusement and respect. Unlike her, Hilshire had no extra responsibilities. He wasn't the homeroom teacher of any class, and had no additional responsibilities other than the occasional patrol of the grounds. So until their meeting with Sachiko's parents, he was simply waiting and watching. The bastard. He could at least offer to help rather than just standing there smugly.

She had turned to tell him just that when the human whirlwind that was Captain Ayako burst into the room, startling them all. She quickly zeroed in on Triela and bounded over to where she was sitting. Without any other warning, she shoved the papers out of Triela's lap onto the floor, and pulled Triela to her feet (A much more difficult task than it appeared to be, due to her cybernetic parts. Captain Ayako hadn't once commented on the fact that Triela weighed more than she should. They had sparred enough that she had to at least suspect something). She pointedly ignored Rosa Gigantea's and Yumi's glares and tried to drag Triela to the door.

"You're going to be late to our demonstration, Triela-hime! It starts in twenty minutes, for goodness sake! You should have been in gear half-an-hour ago! You'll barely have time to warm up properly at this point. Don't blame me if you pull a muscle," she sighed dramatically, "I don't know why I even bother." By this point, Captain Ayako was ignoring _everyone's_ reproachful stares. She had lots of practice.

Triela could have stopped her in her tracks by simply digging her feet in. She did, after all, mass far more than the girl. But… that would undoubtedly cause just as many problems as it would solve. And anyway, stopping Captain Ayako in her tracks would by no means stop Captain Ayako. One way or another, Triela would be at the demonstration in the next twenty minutes. So she gave everyone else in the room an apologetic shrug and allowed herself to be dragged out. She tried to ignore the fact that Hilshire was laughing.

She'd be free of the skirt for a while, at least.

* * *

In fact, she was free of the skirt for several hours. Captain Ayako had neglected to mention that the judo demonstration was part of an even larger martial arts club exhibition. So she spent the next hour and a half either demonstrating to the crowd or participating in short exhibition matches with members of the other clubs. That was, of course, the entire reason that Captain Ayako had dragged her there. Triela solidly beat any challenger that was willing to face her, and thus made the club look good. She didn't doubt that there would be a few new members come Monday.

Yumi had to literally pry her away from the captain so she could get ready for the play. She was late for make-up, and spent all of her time getting ready being lectured on the virtue of punctuality by the drama club president. The play had started by the time she had finished getting into costume. She just barely made it in time for her character's first appearance on stage. Thankfully, the rest of the play went off without a hitch. She didn't understand it, but the audience really liked the gender-flipped play. The Hanadera boys' performance was especially well received. That was understandable. The cat calls girls sent her way whenever she was on stage however were not. The girls here had to be repressed. Or maybe they went for anything not in a skirt? Wait, the guys in this play were in skirts….? Well, feminine clothing at least. And didn't she wear a skirt most of the time? It didn't make any sense.

Well, crazy girls aside, the play was now done. Triela had expected to have some sort of feeling of accomplishment, but she actually felt a bit sad. The feeling had been present in the background all day. She didn't know what exactly she was sad about. She'd been working hard on both the play and the festival for the past month with barely an hour to spare for much else. When the whole thing was finished, she didn't know quite what she would do with herself.

But that in itself was a lie. She knew what she would be doing. And that it would mean the beginning of the end of whatever it was that she had found here. Today they would meet someone who was likely a Padania agent. Neither she nor Hilshire were certain that the person was actually an agent, but it was their first lead since they had arrived. So far, Triela had failed in her mission to learn more about their targets, but today they would have a prime chance to make up for lost ground. Hilshire hadn't commented, but she knew he was a bit frustrated by their lack of progress. She had been too busy or too distracted by all of the things she'd suddenly become involved in to properly execute their mission. Hilshire simply didn't teach enough classes with Ogasawara in them to properly gather the information they needed.

"Triela-hime, you did a wonderful job in the play!" Yumi gushed, interrupting her thoughts.

"As did you, Yumi-sama," Triela replied, glancing over at Ogasawara and trying to hide her pleasure at the comment. She didn't want to appear to be too familiar with Yumi in front of the older girl.

But as always, Yumi had her own ideas. Without warning, she stepped backward and wrapped her arms around Triela. Triela was used to this by now, even in public places, but the evaluating look that Ogasawara gave them made her uncomfortable. "Don't be so formal, Triela! We're going to a picnic. My family, your family, and Onee-sama's! No need to be so stuffy! It'll be fun!" Yumi said with a smile.

Triela tried not to roll her eyes. In present company, that would only set off more teasing. She simply settled for a sigh and avoided looking in Ogasawara's general direction. She still felt the girl's amusement, however. The two of them together were far worse together than they ever were apart, Triela realized. They made up for the other's weakness and easily picked up where the other finished. She had no defense.

To Triela's mild embarrassment, Yumi refused to let her go until they reached their destination, a small grove of ginko trees a bit off the main school path. This caused its own problem, for Touko was waiting with a group of people she assumed to be Ogasawara's family. The girl sent her a venomous glare, but, for once, didn't charge over and try to grab Yumi's attention. In front of all the adults, she at least managed some manners. Not that Triela cared. Of course not.

"Triela, my darling! You were wonderful!" said Hilshire, already fully in character as her over-affectionate, bumbling uncle. She knew he did it on purpose. He took an almost disturbing amount of pleasure in heaping praise and nicknames on her in near equal amounts. She didn't like the extra attention it often brought to her, but it certainly had endeared him to the rest of the students. She hadn't known he was such a ham.

She smoothly dodged his offered hug, and politely followed Yumi and Ogasawara over to where their families were. She stayed in the background as they greeted their families, and waited till they turned their attention back to her. Yumi's family was small, but just by looking at them she knew they were all birds of a feather. She had already met Yumi's younger brother Yuki, who was the President of Hanadera's student council. During all of the festival preparation, she hadn't talked to him much, but he exuded the same sort of quiet cheer and trustworthiness that was Yumi's trademark. She hadn't met her parents, either, but they looked just as kind and open as their daughter. They greeted their daughter with a warm hug and immediately began chatting away.

By contrast, Ogasawara's family was far more varied. They had, perhaps unconsciously, separated into two smaller groups. The first was made up of Touko, an older woman that Triela assumed was Ogasawara's mother, and a young man that Triela had occasionally seen with the Hanadera boys. The other group was made up of three older men. Two of them were Japanese. One was distinctly older than the other, so Triela guessed that maybe they were Ogasawara's father and grandfather. The third was their possible lead. He was tall, brown-haired, and definitely of Italian descent. No Japanese man had that kind of swarthy skin. Their greeting was more reserved, but still cheerful.

"So this is one of the girl's who you've been mentoring, Yumi, dear?" Triela heard Yumi's mother ask after a few minutes. She walked over and stood in front of Triela and good naturedly gave Triela a hug. She smelled and felt so much like Yumi that Triela didn't even flinch. "I hear so much about all you girls, but I never get to meet any of you. Please feel free to come by and bring the others. I'd love to meet them." She ruffled Triela's hair lightly, and Triela felt a small blush creep on to her face.

"Indeed. I'd like to congratulate you on a fine performance, Triela-san. Sachiko also has said much about you, as has our Touko," Said the older women from Ogasawara's group, who had also walked over. Triela bowed politely. It was easy to see where Ogasawara got her looks and manners from. Her mother embodied elegance and refinement. However, her smile was as warm as Yumi's mother's.

"I-I-I'm honored by your praise. It's nice to meet both of you, well. Your daughters have made it very easy for me to get settled here," Triela managed to stutter out. Despite all her preparations, social occasions were still not her strong point.

She saw Hilshire introducing himself to the men in the group, and suppressed a twinge of jealousy. He looked completely unruffled. Within moments, he was engaged in some lively conversation with Yumi's father and the men from the Ogasawara party. She didn't think she'd ever be able to manage that sort of ease, mission or not. Not that it had really mattered that much before she had come here.

She felt a light pinch on her check, and turned to see Yumi smiling at her and the rest of the women looking at her with amused looks on their faces. "Come on now then, Triela-hime. We don't bite! Mom, did you know Triela comes from Italy?

* * *

Triela and Hilshire didn't really have a plan for the afternoon, per se. There were simply too many odd variables to account for to have a really concrete plan. Instead, they each had a set of lead-ins and questions that were hopefully innocuous enough to get information without drawing suspicion. Not that they were really expecting suspicion, considering that the Ogasawara's were comfortable enough that they had brought their guest along. They were expecting a quiet lunch with their daughter and her friends, and perhaps the opportunity to speak with their guest without a paid translator.

Some of the lead-ins Triela and Hilshire had prepared were simple, like questions about the Ogasawara's family life and status. Some were a bit more complex, dealing with business, trade, or finance. Triela didn't really have any of those lead-ins. That bit was Hilshire's job. There wasn't much reason for a supposed 14 or 15-year old to ask questions about the profitability of a business. Her job was simply to be an inquisitive child. It was too bad. She had enjoyed those topics back at the SWA.

Things were actually made easier with both Yumi's and Ogasawara's families present. Triela had been surprised to find out that both families were meeting each other for the first time, despite the fact their daughters had been... well, partners, or whatever they wanted to call it, for the past two years. The rudeness of a slightly probing question was generally overlooked by both sides as each tried to size up the other. In other words, it was the perfect atmosphere to do a little digging and learn personal information. Yumi's father owned a small construction company, and was just as interested in how the Ogasawara business was doing as Hilshire was, so even questions in that direction were allowed.

"So, how's the construction business going, Fukuzawa-san?" Triela heard Hilshire ask. They had segregated themselves roughly by gender when they had seated themselves to eat. The men were seated on one side, the girls in the middle, and the women on the other side. Triela wasn't sure if it had been a conscious decision or if the entire group had subconsciously just decided to follow the Ogasawaras' lead. Triela wasn't complaining; she had positioned herself so that she could listen and ask questions to both groups. It wouldn't be proper to have to shout or to appear awkward in some fashion.

"And because of that we have some of the cutest pictures of Yumi and Yuki in the bath together!" Yumi's mother finished a laugh and a twinkle in her eye. Her two children looked mortified. Yuki was only slightly better at concealing his feelings than Yumi was. Sachiko, her mother, Touko, and the other man who's name was Suguru something-or-other and was a cousin or something, were laughing at the siblings' plight.

Yumi's mother and Ogasawara's mother had been exchanging embarrassing stories about their daughters for more than half-an-hour, and while it was funny, it was starting to get on Triela's nerves. She didn't quite know why, but she had a pretty good guess. If they abruptly asked Hilshire to share a story from her own childhood, only awkwardness could ensue. And she doubted he'd tell one of their fratello's stories.

Still she had managed to glean some information out of those stories. Other than possible blackmail at a later date, she'd noticed that Ogasawara's mother always started her stories with 'I', 'Sachiko and I', or 'my mother and I.' In the four or five stories that she had told, she hadn't heard a single reference to Ogasawara's father. That could simply be a coincidence of course, but the fact that her father wasn't present at any of the moments that her mother considered memorable seemed to indicate something to Triela. Perhaps her father spent a great deal of time at work, or on business trips, or something else. Whatever the reason, he might not be terribly active in Ogasawara's life.

On the other hand, both Ogasawara's father and grandfather seemed to be very active in the business world. Triela knew from her briefings that their company, Ogasawara Industries, was an extremely large and highly diversified company. They controlled a significant portion of the mining industry in East Asia, and had a large manufacturing arm, as well. Ogasawara's father, his Italian guest (whose name she still hadn't caught, but Hilshire had so it was okay), Yumi's father, and Ogasawara were having a spirited discussion about the local construction industry. Ogasawara's grandfather wasn't participating in the conversation due to the fact that he had fallen asleep soon after they had finished eating. Triela didn't particularly understand much about their conversation, but she understood enough of it to know that despite his company not being involved in construction, Ogasawara's father was extremely well informed. Their guest didn't seem nearly as well informed, but Hilshire helpfully translated the more difficult bits for him.

The Italian man was at least somewhat proficient in Japanese, Triela had noted with some surprise. When Ogasawara had asked her to come, she had made it sound like he would need significant help. However, he was able to follow most of the conversation, and only seemed to rely on Hilshire if something very specific or highly technical came up. He was also relatively familiar and friendly with Ogasawara's father, which seemed to indicate that they were at least long standing associates, if not friends. That could be perfectly innocent if he was actually just a businessman. If he was, as they expected, a Padania agent, it didn't bode well for the future of Ogasawara Industries. The Social Welfare Agency would see to that.

"Well, Ricci-san," asked Mr. Fukuzawa, "What brings you to Japan? I understand you do some business with Ogasawara-san."

Triela held back a smile. The Fukuzawas joining them was definitely a blessing. "Ahh… I work in freight and shipping, yes? My company handles product distribution throughout the Mediterranean."

Mr. Fukuzawa nodded, "Ah, I see. You must do a lot of traveling. It must be rough."

Triela piped up before the man could answer, "But think of all the places that he's visited! You've must've seen a lot of interesting places. Where have you been?"

The man gave a small start, but turned and smiled kindly at Triela. She heard the conversation on the women's side of the table die down. Travel was an interesting topic for everyone. "Well, let's see. This year alone, I've been to Russia, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, India, Libya, Indonesia, and here in Japan. They've all been interesting places."

"Which one was your favorite? And which one had the best food?" Yumi asked.

The man turned to Hilshire for a moment and asked a quiet question in Italian that she couldn't hear. When Hilshire replied, Ricci laughed. "Ah, good question, good question. For food, I would have to say Greece. Despite being so close to my home, the food is very different. As for my favorite…" he thought for a moment. "Well, I would say Egypt. The pyramids are truly magnificent," he turned and asked Hilshire another brief question, "Ah. Pictures do not do them justice."

Ogasawara's mother smiled, "It's always been one of my dreams to see them," she looked at her husband with mild irritation, "But prying my husband away from his activities long enough to go visit has so far been impossible." Her husband raised an eyebrow, but did not comment.

The lack of a reply might have become awkward had Yumi's mother not burst into laughter, "Isn't that the truth? I have a hard enough time prying mine away long enough to go to the beach for a few days. I think Egypt would impossible." Mr. Fukuzawa went red in embarrassment, and the rest of the picnickers laughed.

"Your company has a lot of clients, then?" Hilshire asked.

The man nodded smugly. "We specialize in quick deliveries. Once someone uses our services, they never go back. We guarantee it. No matter the place or the package, we will deliver it."

Mr. Ogasawara nodded in agreement, but seemed to regard Hilshire's question with curiosity. "We've been pleased with their services, so far. Their work has been beyond our expectations. Why so interested, Hartmann-san? Thinking of starting up a company? My daughter tells me you excel at teaching already. It'd be a pity to lose your skills here."

Hilshire laughed, "No, no, it's just good to hear an Italian company doing well in today's market. When we left Italy a few months ago, the economy wasn't in particularly good condition."

Mr. Ogasawara snorted in mild irritation, "The economy isn't great anywhere; that isn't an excuse. You do what you can. You diversify. You find new customers and new markets. That's why we got involved with Ricci-san's company, after all."

It was Mrs. Ogasawara's turn to raise an eyebrow, "So, dear husband, things haven't been as smooth as you've been making them out to be, then?"

Conversation abruptly died, as Ogasawara's parents stared at each other. Triela glanced at Ogasawara, who had an uncharacteristic look of worry on her face. She kept moving her gaze from one parent to the other in apparent confusion. Triela bit her lip and shot a look at Hilshire, who was also observing the reactions. He nodded slowly, and shrugged. Triela wasn't quite sure what that meant, but they would compare notes later. These few moments made this meeting worth the trouble they had gone, through.

Triela suddenly felt a hand grip her own, and twitched, despite herself. She turned to Yumi, who was sitting beside her. She too had a worried look on her face, but it was directed at Ogasawara. She didn't even seem to realize that she'd grabbed Triela's hand. She glanced over at Touko, who was sitting on the other side of Yumi. She was staring at Yumi with worried eyes. Triela looked down and saw that Yumi had also grabbed her hand. When she raised her eyes, Touko met her gaze. They shared a considering look, but Touko quickly broke eye contact.

So, it seemed the father wasn't sharing business information with his wife, and possibly his daughter. And it was possible his company wasn't in such great shape, after all. That didn't prove anything, but Triela was naturally suspicious. It didn't seem like the action of an innocent man. Of course, they'd didn't know how long Mr. Ricci's and the Ogasawaras' company had been in contact. Or maybe Ogasawara's father had simply been pigheaded like that since the beginning. He wouldn't be the first man in history to lie to his wife all the time.

Yumi's mother ended the silence abruptly, as she turned to her son and forcefully spoke up, "So, Yuki, dear, are you planning to run for student council president, again?" Ogasawara's cousin Suguru quickly picked up on the conversation as well, and in a few moments the awkward silence was behind them. The two sides once again pursued different conversations. Triela did notice, however, that the atmosphere was nowhere near as relaxed as it had been beforehand. That made her sad for some reason.

After a few minutes, Triela watched Hilshire gracefully disengage himself from the men's conversation and stand up to leave. Before she could ask where he was going, she was interrupted by Yumi grabbing her by the arm. Surprised, Triela was almost pulled into her lap. "You've been listening to the old men talk too much. Tell us about all the pretty Italian boys you've met. Has there been one special so far?" The other women burst into giggles, and Triela was left sputtering, trying her best to defend herself.

She didn't even notice when Hilshire rejoined the picnickers.

* * *

The man sighed and loosened his collar a bit, as he strolled down the quiet street. Today had not worked out at all as he had planned. The goal had been to get Ogasawara somewhere casual enough that he could be easily persuaded to sign off on the deal. That had failed rather spectacularly. He hadn't realized that the man had that bad a relationship with his wife. It had made Ogasawara even more tense and unwilling to negotiate. The man was getting cold feet.

The meal had been pleasant enough, he supposed, though he thought it had gone on far too long. It didn't help that his limited command of the Japanese language made things a little awkward. He wasn't sure why Ogasawara had insisted on him not bringing his translator along. He had been surprised, relieved and a little glad to find another native Italian at that backward little school, however. It was good to speak Italian like it should be spoken, rather than the broken and awkward speech that he often heard from the foreigners he negotiated with. It had been months since he'd been home. He'd have to call and see how his son was doing. It had been two weeks since he'd called last.

It looked as if it would be a few more months before he got home, as well. If Ogasawara backed out of the deal, he'd be in a serious bind. They already had a number of buyer's lined up for Ogasawara's goods. He hoped his counterpart on the receiving end hadn't taken payments yet. If Ogasawara refused to go through with the deal and they owed people, it would be very bad. Especially considering some of the people his company worked with. His back-up sellers couldn't even field nearly the same amount as Ogasawara's company threw out as garbage.

Tomorrow, he'd start over. He had some wiggle room in the terms. He'd see if sweetening the deal a little bit would persuade the man. It would hurt his bottom line, and his superior would be unhappy, but Ogasawara had been troublesome before. However, his superior would appreciate late or non-existent shipments even less than paying a little bit more. That just meant that Receiving would have to negotiate a little harder and set the prices a little bit harder. It would result in unhappy customers, but that was something they were used to and could deal with.

He paused to check his surroundings. He had refused the ride that the Ogasawaras had offered, because he had wanted time to think and plan. His hotel wasn't too far from the school, and besides, he needed the exercise. With as much time he spent flying around these past months, he had little time to work out. He had gained ten pounds in the past three months, unfortunately. He'd have to try to work them off before he saw his wife again. She always said that he was a little too fond of sweets. And like with everything else, she was right.

He turned a corner and emerged onto a sparsely lit street. If he had been in Italy, he would have perhaps thought twice about strolling down the road by himself. In Japan, however, he felt perfectly safe. It was one of the few nice things about the country. One could walk around free and not expect to be mugged, killed, or kidnapped. He'd nearly had all three happen to him the last time he'd walked around Venice. He didn't know what it would like to be robbed by a Japanese person. Most of the ones he had met were polite. It probably would be awkward. At least Italian criminals had style. He knew that better than most.

From a nearby alley, two figures detached themselves from the shadows, one far taller than the other. At first, he didn't pay them any mind. They were both wearing over-large coats and large hats that covered their faces. This would have been more notable if he hadn't seen stranger outfits when he had toured Harajuku during his last visit to Japan. That had been an eye-opener. He wasn't that old himself, but just looking at the clothes the youth in that district wore had made him feel impossibly ancient. He hoped the fashion styles of the kids in Italy weren't anywhere near extreme.

Not wanting to draw their attention, he kept his eyes carefully and politely forward. He didn't want to insult and provoke some kids on the street. Things were quieter here, but he could remember being a teenager and being touchy about wearing what he wanted.

Of course that meant he didn't see the blow that knocked him out.

* * *

Bleh, I had the worst case of writer's block in the middle of this chapter that paralyzed me for several weeks. But once I worked out where this chapter stands in regards to the rest of the story, things went a bit smoother (I almost threw the story into really high gear. One version of this chapter that I planned out ended in a gunfight with a couple of people dead). A lot of subtle and not-so-subtle things happen this chapter, so things are finally moving. Also, a bunch of new characters appear. I would have liked to give them a bit more personality, but for a lot of them, this'll probably be one of their few appearances. Can you guess who might be important?

Next chapter will deal with some personal issues amongst the characters and some movements in the background. And it'll probably end on a cliffhanger. Anyway, will be working on the next chapter of _Something to Die For_ next, so expect that sometime in January if things don't get hectic. Ja ne!

See ya next chapter!


	6. Breakthrough

Disclaimer: I do not own Gunslinger Girl or Maria-sama ga Miteru and I have no intentions of profiting from this story.

_Bloodstained Rose_ – A Gunslinger Girl/Maria-sama ga Miteru crossover

Chapter 6 - Breakthrough

Triela had taken to eating her lunch in the Rose Mansion during the preparations for the festival. There she could eat and work while avoiding her fellow students. She was not interested in answering any awkward questions about herself or the student council members. The rest of the Yamayurikai also frequently ate their meals there, which meant that she was never short of company, even if they were all busy with their own work. Even with the festival over, Triela still found herself walking towards the impressively named building at lunchtime. It had become such a habit that she hadn't even thought twice about it when the lunch bell had rung.

She noticed that the building was uncharacteristically quiet as she climbed the stairs to the meeting room. The normal hustle and bustle of people running in and out of the building was strangely absent. She found herself missing it, for some reason. Perhaps with the festival done, the council members had returned to whatever served as their normal schedules. That made her sad for a moment, but she shook the feeling off. It didn't matter. She wasn't here to spend time with and make friends, anyway. She'd eat her lunch in peace, and then go back to class.

With a little more force than was absolutely necessary, Triela pulled open the door to the meeting room and walked in. The room was still a mess from the festival, and three steps in she almost tripped over a spare roll of wrapping paper. Barely keeping her balance, she cursed, and kicked the thing away from her. It bounced a short distance into a pile of plastic tableware, scattering them all about. She would have cursed more, but the sound of laughter startled her.

She whirled about to face the table and was surprised to see Ogasawara sitting there, drinking a cup of tea and, judging from the food in front of her, eating her own lunch. Triela looked between her target and the door in irritation. She was getting soft and too concerned with her own petty troubles! She hadn't even noticed the girl's presence when she had entered the room. This place was getting to her, causing her to her edge. She'd be comfortable in the damn skirts in no time, at this rate.

"As usual, you demonstrate Yumi's innate talent for comedy, Triela." Ogasawara commented with a small smile.

Only the greatest self-control kept Triela from audibly grinding her teeth. Instead, she curtsied politely to the upperclassmen and apologized for the disturbance, "I am sorry for the sudden intrusion, Rosa Chinesis. I did not realize that there would be anyone using the room. I also apologize for the… display."

Ogasawara nodded and smiled, "That is fine. I've accepted that, despite Yumi's and my best efforts, you will never act as a lady should. Please, sit. I see you've brought your lunch to escape the crowds as well."

Ignoring the insult, Triela quickly cleaned up the mess she had made, cleared a spot at the table for herself, and sat at the table. Watching her target out of the corner of her eye, Triela quickly dug into her lunch. She wasn't quite sure how to start a conversation with the girl. After all, they had rarely ever spoken with each other alone. They had eaten together at the family gathering only two days ago, but she wasn't sure if Ogasawara wanted to hear any more about the festival. Triela had quickly become irritated by the constant questions from the other students about the 'behind the scenes' work that went into the festival. Most of them seem to think that something sordid was going on somewhere. Where the hell they got that idea, Triela didn't want to know, but she had a sneaking suspicious that the nosy senior from the Newspaper Club was behind a lot of the rumours.

"I have a question, Triela, if you do not mind?" Ogasawara asked, breaking the silence.

Triela quickly swallowed her food, "Feel free, Sachiko-sama."

"You do remember Ricci-san from the other day, correct?" Triela nodded, "Well, it seems as if he has… gone missing. Did you or your uncle see him after everyone left? I know that you both chose to walk home. My father said that Ricci-san also chose to walk."

Triela frowned, "I don't remember seeing him. We live fairly close to campus, and I think I remember Ricci-san heading in a completely different direction. He was staying at the big hotel near campus, right? That's not anywhere near our apartment."

Ogasawara sighed, "I didn't think that you had, but thank you. My father has been near frantic since Ricci-san did not show up for their meeting yesterday. When I left this morning, he was considering whether to call the police or the consulate and report him missing," she frowned slightly, "He also asked me to inquire around campus to see if anyone had seen anything."

"We all left fairly late, if I remember correctly. Most of the students would have already gone. Maybe check with the classes that had clean-up duty? They'd be the only ones who might have seen something," Triela suggested.

Ogasawara nodded, "Yes, I was going to visit those classes during one of the other break periods. However, I do not believe that it will produce any results…" she trailed off, looking uncertain. Triela wasn't sure if she'd ever seen that expression on the girl's face before. She generally gave off an aura that suggested nothing could bother her.

"Was this deal important to your father, Sachiko-sama?" Triela asked.

Ogasawara nodded, looking very troubled, "I believe so. Millions, possibly hundreds of million of dollars worth of product is on the line. At least, that is my impression. My father is generally very close mouthed about business around the house… For him to give away this much… A great deal must be riding on this agreement. This, of course, is why I am doing my best to look into things for him here. It is the least I can do."

Triela nodded sympathetically, barely concealing her joy. This was the kind of thing she had been sent here to learn. She couldn't wait to get back to Hilshire. He'd be just as excited that they were finally making progress. As she had expected, Ogasawara didn't seem to have any idea of what her father was involved in. Of course, she didn't have any way to prove that, and Ogasawara was probably more than capable of lying with a straight face. However, what would be the point? Unless Ogasawara somehow suspected her, there would be no reason to lie. The girl would have to be particularly paranoid to believe that Triela was trying to spy on her. As that was exactly what she was doing made the situation all the more ridiculous.

"Did you check with the guard at the gate, or with one of the local police boxes? They could have seen him as well," Triela asked.

Ogasawara hesitated, and Triela had to stop herself from moving to the edge of her seat, "… No, not yet. My father seemed rather reluctant to talk with the police, despite being as worried as he was. It was strange. For now, I will keep my inquires to the student's only."

"Don't worry, Sachiko-sama. I'm sure he'll turn up. We Italians are always getting ourselves into trouble, but we've managed to live this long. I'm sure that he's probably okay." Triela said, cracking a smile. Her father was worried about going to the police, huh? That was certainly very suspicious.

Ogasawara raised an eyebrow. "Just who is the older sister here? I do believe you attempted to comfort me, Triela. Perhaps there is some hope for you, after all. Shall we teach you how to speak softly and politely next? Or maybe how to properly walk?"

Triela scowled, "I talk perfectly fine. How many languages do you speak?"

"Three," Ogasawara replied pleasantly.

"Five," Triela shot back, restraining the urge to stick out her tongue. The girl was frustrating, no doubt about it. But they were finally getting somewhere with this mission.

* * *

After judo practice, Triela was surprised to find both Yumi and Touko waiting for her outside the changing rooms. Neither of them belonged to any of the clubs that used the dojo, so it felt a little strange seeing them there. She wasn't the only one who thought so, either. A small crowd of girls had not-so-subtly stuck around after practice, most likely in the hopes of picking up some sort of gossip. The Lillian rumour mill was, as always, ready to swing into action at a moments notice.

Yumi, as soon as she saw Triela, waved her over with a smile. With a repressed sigh, Triela strode over to them. Touko, as normal for her, simply ignored Triela and pretended like Yumi had tried to get her attention, instead. Triela was used to the girl's behavior by this point, and returned the favor by ignoring her as well. She bowed. "Good afternoon, Yumi-sama. How was class today?"

Yumi reached over and ruffled her hair lightly. "Other than math class, it was as fun as usual. And how was yours?"

Triela smiled back, "Not too bad. My uncle was no more embarrassing than usual. Also, I talked with Sachiko-sama for a while during lunch. I think it was the first time we've sat down and talked about something that wasn't school related."

Yumi's eyes lit up, "You talked with her? Good! How was she?"

Triela's eyes darted between Yumi and the groups of girls that were hanging around and doing their best not to appear to be eavesdropping. "Let's head towards the gate. I'll fill you in on the way."

Yumi looked uncertain for a moment, but Touko was no idiot. She was just as used to the girls' antics as Triela was. She grabbed Yumi's arm and gently pulled her onto the path towards the gate. Triela could almost hear the sighs of disappointment from the girls. A few even tried to follow along, but Triela glared at them until they grew embarrassed enough to hurry ahead of them.

"What was that about, Triela, Touko?" Yumi asked, sounding more amused than worried.

"It is simply nice to occasionally have some privacy, Yumi-sama," Touko replied, scorn heavy in her voice. Triela couldn't have said it better herself.

Yumi frowned and when she spoke, her voice held an edge that Triela had heard only a few times, "Why? Are there girls giving either of you trouble? Just tell me who, and I'll talk with them. There is no reason that they can't leav-"

"Yumi-sama, we're both fine," Triela cut in before Yumi picked up too much momentum, "We're both used to this sort of thing by now. Didn't you want to talk about Sachiko-sama, anyway?"

Yumi didn't look happy, but she didn't look like she was planning an intervention either. Triela didn't need Yumi prying around her life anymore than she already was, and Touko, as much as she seemed to crave the older girl's attention, also seemed to appreciate at least a little space. So when Yumi seemed to accept the change in subject, Triela was relieved.

"So how was she at lunch, Triela-hime? I only spoke a little to her this morning, but she seemed a little… off," Yumi asked.

"She was also very quiet the rest of the weekend. The whole family was, actually. Her father even refused an invitation to dinner from my father. That almost never happens," Touko added.

Triela nodded, but inside she was doing some quick calculations. Should she tell them about what Ogasawara had said? Both were worried about the girl, but was there any advantage to telling them or not telling them? For the first time in the entire mission she had some solid intel. If she told them, was there a possibility that she could get some additional information? Both girls were extremely close to Ogasawara, and Touko was familiar with the girl even outside of school. She had known they could be good information sources if the right situation ever came along.

Plus, they were simply worried about their friend. Even Triela could see that. What harm could it do to give them a little information?

"She was a little bit worried, I think. Do you remember Ricci-san? He was the Italian man that Sachiko-sama's father brought to our picnic. Apparently he's missing and her dad is really worried," She said.

"That's terrible! Do they have any clue what happened to him?" Yumi asked, sounding genuinely worried.

Triela shook her head. "Apparently, he never showed up for a business meeting the next day. Sachiko-sama said her father thinks he didn't make it home after the picnic."

Yumi nodded, thinking deeply, "Right, he walked home, didn't he? He walked as far as the bus stop with my family. After that, we separated. It was kind of dark out, I suppose. He was only two or three blocks away from the hotel, though."

"Maybe he got lost?" Touko asked, "He is a foreigner, after all. Just because he can speak the language doesn't mean he can read or write it." she glanced snidely over at Triela, "Just look at Triela-hime. She speaks like a native, but reads like a third grader. Maybe he took a wrong turn and went somewhere he shouldn't."

Triela ignored the barb, "It's possible, I guess. I'm not sure why Sachiko-sama was so worried about it, though. I suppose it is her father's business."

All three were quiet for a moment as they pondered that. It was a perfect chance for a leading question. Today was just getting better and better. "Yumi-sama, how involved is Sachiko-sama with her father's company?"

Yumi puzzled over the question for a few moments. "Not very much, I think. As far as I know, she is the heir, but for now she's simply going to school. I know she is planning on going to a business school for college, so maybe she's planning to work her way up from the bottom? I'm not real sure. She doesn't always talk about her home life," she sighed, "There is still is so much I don't know about my soeur. Do you have a better idea, Touko?"

The other underclassman shook her head, "I am sorry. I know as little as you. For a while, I know she was attempting to be more involved, but I think her father discouraged her. From what I heard from her mother, he told her that he wanted her to go to school and have fun while she could. She was very disappointed. Despite everything else, she really does look up to her father."

"'Despite everything else?'" Triela prompted.

Touko opened her mouth, but shut it almost immediately, "It really isn't my place to say."

Triela was surprised. Touko usually took every opportunity to lord over her if she knew something that Triela didn't. She looked to Yumi, who looked extremely uncomfortable, but the older girl also shook her head, "That's something very private, Triela-hime. I'm sorry. Touko shouldn't have even brought it up."

Triela sighed. That sounded like it could be a crucial bit of information. Perhaps she could dig it up elsewhere. "Well, either way, Sachiko-sama seems to be pretty worried about her father."

"Well, why don't we think of ways to cheer her up?" Yumi suggested.

Touko agreed, and Triela smiled, slipping back into the ease of simple conversation for the rest of the walk. They bandied about ideas, before eventually deciding to see if Ogasawara would join them at a cake buffet that Yumi liked. That, of course, degenerated further into talk about their favorite kinds of sweets. By the time they reached the gate, all three girls were giggling madly, and had once again attracted a small crowd of hangers-on. This time it was almost pleasant.

However, a familiar voice calling her name startled her. She hadn't heard that particular voice in a long time, so it took a moment to fully register. Even then, she still didn't quite believe it. She spun around in complete surprise just in time to catch a crying blur as it crashed into her.

"Triela! Triela! I'm so glad to see you! It's been so long!" bawled Henrietta.

* * *

"This is a friend of yours, Triela-hime?" Yumi asked curiously.

They had retreated to a small café near the school gates. At this time of day, the place was packed with girls from all levels of Lillian, from kindergarteners with their parents to college students. It was a popular meeting spot, and had over the years, as far as Triela could tell, evolved into an almost exclusive space for Lillian students. It sort of felt like the bar Hilshire had once taken her to, where the Welfare agents went to drink after work. Only classier, with more women, and without the smell of gunpowder in the background.

Triela looked up from patting Henrietta's head affectionately. The girl had stopped crying, which was good, but she still refused to let go of her. 'Etta had always been the most touchy out of all the girls, the complete opposite of Triela and Claes. "Yes, Yumi-sama, this is Henrietta. If you couldn't have guessed it, she is Italian like I am. We're old friends, I guess you could say."

"We used to live in the same dorm," Henrietta added, "Before we both left we saw each other all the time!"

Triela did her best not to flinch when Henrietta opened her mouth. Henrietta was also the girl least suited for undercover work. She just wasn't able to keep her mouth shut or tell a lie convincingly. Triela supposed in the normal world, that sort of trait might be looked on positively, but in their world it was a liability. That was one of the main reasons that Triela had been assigned to the undercover mission, despite her own unsuitability.

"Ah, at one of the other schools that Mr. Hartmann taught at?" Touko asked.

Triela held her breath, but Henrietta merely thought about it for a second before answering. "Yes! Me and Triela, Claes, and Rico were all taught by Mr. Hartman. Geography and History and those kinds of things. He was very good at it, too." Thinking back, Triela realized that it was true. Hilshire had been the one in charge of those topics in the girls' curriculum. No wonder he had taken to this job so easily.

"And what brings you to Japan? You didn't come all the way here just to visit Triela-hime did you?" Yumi asked with a smile.

Henrietta blushed, but shook her head. "My… brother, Jose, works for Interpol. It's kind of an international police group. He's been got moved here so he could work as a liaison with the some of the people at the… the… the National Central Bureau, I think is what it's called. We just learned that Triela and Mr. Hartmann were in the country, so we came to visit." She tried to snuggle deeper in Triela's side, something that Triela found more than a little awkward. 'Etta had always been touchy, but not this kind of touchy.

Yumi, however, seemed to find to find it cute, judging by her smile. Well, Henrietta did look several years younger than her, so Triela supposed Yumi was daydreaming about some sort of soeur-type relationship or something like that between them. Henrietta was a coworker, and probably a friend. Triela didn't think about it any more than that. She wasn't even sure about the friend bit. Henrietta, in the end, always put her partner, Jose, above everything else. That was the purpose of the agency's cyborgs after all, even if Henrietta did seem to take it further than the rest of them.

"Isn't that nice? How long will you be staying? I'm sure the rest of us would like to meet one of Triela's friends. Rei and Yoshino would both find you positively cute! Onee-sama would, as well, I guarantee," Yumi laughed, then seemed to think for a second, "I've just had a great idea! Why don't you come and have tea and cake with us on Thursday if you're still here? We'll invite the rest of the Yamayurikai. We were going to take Sachiko-sama out with us, but we can make a party out of it!"

Touko looked less than pleased at the idea, but nodded in agreement quickly enough. Henrietta looked a little uncertain, a feeling that Triela certainly shared. So many things could go wrong with that. She had enough trouble dealing with small groups. She wasn't sure that Henrietta could handle it, especially without being used to it and without Jose being there. "I'm not sure if we'll still be here or not… but thank you for the invitation! I'll ask Jose if I can come."

With that, all four girls said their goodbyes to each other and Triela and Henrietta began to head back to the apartment. Triela waited several minutes to clear the majority of the crowds before speaking. It came out a bit harsher than she wanted it to, but given the circumstances she thought it warranted it, "So what brings you here, 'Etta? Did you and Jose dig up something?"

Henrietta looked surprised at her change in tone but nodded. She glanced around warily, but the few people on the street were clearly only paying attention to their own business. Triela almost rolled her eyes. If they just kept the conversation looking casual, no one would even bother to listen. "Jose says that we've managed to trace several transactions back to known Padania sympathizers. Jean and Rico have tracked down a few of them back in Italy. Rico said it was very messy."

Triela could imagine. "Rico always does things messily. I think that's how Jean likes it. He's got no finesse. Do you know if we have enough for a warrant?"

Henrietta looked at her a little strangely, "… As far as I know, Triela, no . But Jose thinks we'll soon have the information we need."

Triela blinked, "From where? I've only recently begun to get information out of Ogasawara. And Hilshire and I have only recently made contact with the father. Did you guys find another information source?"

Henrietta smiled widely and nodded excitedly. "We picked him up over the weekend! Hilshire gave us a tip, and we picked him up. Jose and I haven't been able to get much out of him, so that's why we're here. We wanted to see if either of you had any luck before I killed him."

Triela flinched at that. It had been several months since she'd heard casual conversation about killing someone. It made her feel distinctly uneasy. Now she knew she was becoming soft. At this rate she really was going to become useless to Hilshire.

"Why did Jose think that we'd have any better luck?" Triela asked.

Henrietta thought about the question for a moment, "Well, Hilshire is more skilled than Jose is in interrogation techniques, I guess. Jose didn't want to just resort to beating the man till he talked. He says that intel gotten that way isn't always accurate," she shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe he just wanted to come see you guys? I think he's been pretty lonely since we came here."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Triela wasn't sure how she felt about Henrietta's sudden intrusion into her mission. Sure, she was excited that she had finally gotten information out of Ogasawara, but she wasn't sure if it had sunk in that it might change the current status quo. Despite meeting a possible enemy agent only earlier in the week, she had still been proceeding as she had every day for the past month and a half. Henrietta's appearance had thrown that into brutal focus. Things were going to be changing very soon.

"… So were those girls… Were they your friends?" Henrietta asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Triela answered absently, still trying to come to grips with recent events.

"… Ah… What's it like? To have friends? I have you and Rico and Claes, and maybe Beatrice, but I'm not real sure if we're really friends, you know… Jose isn't the only one who's been a bit lonely, I think." Henrietta said, trailing off.

Triela realized what she had said and winced, "I… Of course, we're friends. Don't think about it too much, Henrietta. They aren't really friends. They are people who are close to my target. I've become friendly with them because it was necessary to get close to her."

It sounded like a lie, even to her, but for some reason, it reassured Henrietta. The rest of the walk home was spent catching up with each other. Triela tried to ignore the sudden feeling of distance between her and the younger girl. They had been fairly close at the Agency, but now, after months of separation, she wasn't sure how she felt about her. They were comrades, but Henrietta seemed to be even more concerned with finishing the mission than she was. Triela had spent the last month attending school, trying to pretend to be normal, while Henrietta had been shadowing Jose across the country tracking down leads. She wasn't sure what had changed in such a short period of time.

They arrived at the apartment building without incident and climbed the six long flights of stairs to the Hartmann apartment. She shouldn't have been surprised to find a bleeding man lying on a tarp in the middle of her kitchen, but she was. Jose and Hilshire stood over the man with grim looks on their faces, and on the kitchen table were various things that were covered in blood. She also shouldn't have been surprised that the man on the floor was Ricci-san, the man whom Sachiko had been worried about only hours ago.

* * *

As I keep saying for most of my stuff, wow it's been a while. It doesn't feel that long to me, but I guess that's laziness speaking.

As far as story wise, wow, Henrietta wrote herself in there something fierce. Original plan didn't have her showing up till the last paragraph there, and she suddenly appeared halfway into the chapter, crying of all things. Not sure where she came from there. Grr… And the dialogue is really killing me in this story. I have to watch how everyone speaks. Triela speaks plainer than everyone (except when talking business), while Sachiko is on the completed opposite speaking relatively formally. You know its bad when you are counting contractions and spending ten minutes thinking if you show take one out or not, and if the sentence still flows naturally without it.

See ya next chapter!


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